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Italy Leonardo
AW139M
Militarized version of Leonardo's best-selling twin-engine medium helicopter, used by the Italian Air Force and Army for utility, medevac and special-forces transport. Its civil AW139 sibling is one of the most widely operated helicopters in the world, giving the M-variant a large parts and training ecosystem.
In service since 2010 · 3 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
310
km/h
1,061
km range
6,096
m ceiling
💲 ≈ $15,000,000 — Approximate unit cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Italian export-licensed
UAMA authorisation; standard EU/Wassenaar controls.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Limited · 3 operators
In service since 2010. Status: active · ~40 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$38M – $53M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 310 km/h Stronger than 73% of helicopters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 1,061 km Top 8% of helicopters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 6,096 m Stronger than 81% of helicopters
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 16.66 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 4.98 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 4,050 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 6,800 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 2
- Troop capacity
Number of embarked troops/passengers (IFV, APC, transport). Higher carries more.
- 15 Stronger than 44% of helicopters
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 2× Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C turboshaft
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 2
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turboshaft
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- FLIR turret, search-light
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $15,000,000 Stronger than 88% of helicopters
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 40 Stronger than 20% of helicopters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 3 Stronger than 48% of helicopters
Specifications compiled from public Leonardo and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Leonardo AW139M? +
The Leonardo AW139M has a maximum speed of 310 km/h.
What is the range of the Leonardo AW139M? +
The Leonardo AW139M has a maximum range of 1,061 km.
How much does the Leonardo AW139M weigh? +
The Leonardo AW139M has a combat weight of 6,800 kg.
How many crew does the Leonardo AW139M require? +
The Leonardo AW139M requires a crew of 2.
What engine does the Leonardo AW139M use? +
The Leonardo AW139M is powered by the 2× Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C turboshaft.
How many countries operate the Leonardo AW139M? +
The Leonardo AW139M is operated by 3 countries.
How much does the Leonardo AW139M cost? +
The Leonardo AW139M has an approximate unit cost of 15,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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