Saab received an order from the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) for continued delivery of complete support and maintenance for Helicopter 15 (Finmeccanica’s AgustaWestland AW109) during 2018 and 2019, the company said Monday.
The order covers all 20 of Sweden’s Helicopter 15 units. It includes material and technical personnel, base staff in the form of management, planning and administration, logistics and material provision, and on-call services in the form of additional technical personnel and services.
The AW109 is a lightweight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose rotorcraft with a maximum speed of 193 mph, cruise speed of 177 mph, and maximum takeoff weight of over 6,000 pounds.
Helicopter 15 has been operational in Sweden for over 10 years, currently operating from two Swedish bases, Linköping and Ronneby. The former is the main base for maintenance, inspections, and repairs. The bulk of Saab’s support and maintenance resources are set to be based there. This also includes technicians, mechanics, and base staff.
“Our ability to deliver a complete commitment to the support and maintenance of Helicopter 15 enables us to contribute to a high operational availability of our customer,” Jonas Hjelm, head of Saab’s support and services business area, said in a statement.