A Portuguese Air Force AW101 search-and-rescue helicopter midlife upgrade is planned around improved avionics and sensors (Getty Images)
LISBON — Portugal is pushing ahead with plans for an AW101 search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopter midlife upgrade, and has launched discussions with Italy’s Leonardo to assess a suitable way forward.
“We are debating that topic [of a midlife upgrade] with Leonardo to see what are the options for sure,” Maj. Gen. Joao Nogueira, director of weapon systems maintenance directorate at the Portuguese Air Force told Breaking Defense and other media, as part of an Embraer press trip on Wednesday. (Like other outlets Breaking Defense accepted travel and accommodations from the manufacturer for the trip.)
“We are talking more about avionics and sensors,” not France’s Safran RTM322 engines, which power the rotorcraft, said Nogueira. He stressed that there are “no issues” with the powerplant, but that the planned upgrade is necessary as the AW101 has been in service for almost two decades.
“These programs take time to define and implement and it’s something that we are looking at this moment, to take some decisions,” he added.
“The Danish are looking to [the] possibility” of an upgrade. “Canadians are all in [on] that process already … So the idea is to have a similar approach … in order to bring value to the [Portuguese] Air Force.”
A spokesperson for Leonardo told Breaking Defense in a statement that over “recent years we’ve developed and shared MLU strategies with many of our existing AW101 operators, to enable the implementation of solutions and technology enhancements required. This allows to preserve and sustain the unequalled capabilities of the AW101, extending them into the next 15-20 years of operations.”
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The manufacturer also stands “ready to meet any emerging requirement from other AW101 operators,” added the spokesperson, while noting that ongoing MLU upgrades typically benefit from “new avionics and cockpit, sensors and mission equipment and, in some cases, new engines,” together with support and training packages.
Leonardo company literature claims that for both Portugal and Canada, the 16-tonne class helicopter “has demonstrated excellent performance” when carrying out SAR and combat SAR operations “even under conditions so extreme that no other helicopter could carry them out.”
Half of Portugal’s fleet of 12 AW101 helicopters are reserved for SAR operations, with others used for combat SAR and fishery protection, according to the manufacturer.
Talking about the decision to commit to an upgrade, as opposed to potentially kickstarting a replacement acquisition, Nogueira said that despite “alternative” aircraft being available, they don’t go “so [much] further in terms of range.”
Updated 3/28/2024 at 5:38 am ET with comment from Leonardo.
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