AW139
ICAO A139A commercial helicopter that keeps being bought by air forces, and soon the US Air Force. Live AW139 positions.
Flying right now
Live · 30s
No AW139 is transmitting ADS-B at the moment.
Military aircraft are not obliged to broadcast, so this happens regularly. The count refreshes every thirty seconds.
Airframe
- Manufacturer
- Leonardo
- Role
- Medium utility helicopter
- Class
- H2T — Helicopter, 2 turboshaft engines
- Crew
- 2
- First flight
- 3 February 2001
- In service
- 2003
Operators airborne
Nothing of this type is up right now.
About the AW139
The AW139 was designed for the offshore oil industry and turned out to be good enough that governments kept buying it. Italy, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia and a long list of coast guards and police forces fly it, usually for patrol, rescue and transport rather than anything combat-related.
Its most consequential order is American. The US Air Force is buying the type as the MH-139A Grey Wolf to replace its UH-1N fleet guarding the missile fields, which will eventually make it a common sight over the northern plains.
For now the traffic here is mostly European and Middle Eastern, and often state rather than strictly military — the coast guard and border patrol aircraft that this feed carries alongside air force ones.
Callsign prefixes
- IAM
- Italian Air Force
- IRC
- Irish Air Corps
- RESCUE
- Coast guard and rescue tasking
How to recognise it
- —A clean, modern medium twin with a five-blade main rotor and retractable wheels.
- —A rounded nose and large cabin windows — it looks like the commercial helicopter it is.
- —Frequently in coast guard or police colours rather than military camouflage.
Common questions
+ What is the MH-139 Grey Wolf?
The US Air Force version of the AW139, built by Boeing and Leonardo, intended to replace the UH-1N Twin Huey in missile field security. Deliveries have begun but are running behind schedule.
+ Is the AW139 a military helicopter?
Not originally. It was designed for offshore transport and remains a commercial best-seller; military and government sales came afterwards, mostly for patrol, rescue and transport work.
+ Why do coast guard helicopters appear on a military tracker?
The feed this site reads includes state-operated aircraft, not only armed forces. Coast guards, border agencies and some police units are carried in it.