Agusta Westland AW101 Merlin Helicopter Norwegian Air Force

Royal Norwegian Air Force / Luftforsvaret
AgustaWestland AW101 'SAR Queen'

agusta westland aw101 rescue helicopter royal norwegian air force luftforsvaret sar queen sola air station 02

07/23

Aircraft (16+6?):

Serials + markings:
0262 / 0264 / 0265 / 0268 / 0270 / 0273 / 0275 / 0276
0277 / 0278 / 0279 / 0280 / 0281 / 0282 / 0283 / 0284

The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter used in both military and civil applications. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requirements for a modern naval utility helicopter. Several operators, including the armed forces of Britain, Denmark, Norway and Portugal, use the name Merlin for their AW101 aircraft. It is manufactured at factories in Yeovil, England and Vergiate, Italy; licensed assembly work has also taken place in Japan and the United States.

Prior to 2007, the aircraft had been marketed under the designation EH101. The original designation was in fact EHI 01, from the name given to the Anglo-Italian joint venture - European Helicopter Industries - but a transcription error changed this to EH101 and the designation stuck. In 2000, Westland Helicopters and Agusta merged to form AgustaWestland, leading to the type's current designation.

Norwegian Air Force (Luftforsvaret) service:
On 25 October 2007, a project started that had the intent to replace all Westland Sea King search and rescue helicopters with new rescue helicopters by 2020. On 19 December 2013, a contract was signed between AgustaWestland and the government, for the purchase of 16 AW101 helicopters. The agreement came about after fierce competition between different manufacturers to satisfy the Norwegian requirements. Participants were AgustaWestland, Eurocopter, NHIndustries, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and Boeing. The government considered that AgustaWestland AW101 met the requirements and specifications in the best possible way.

On 12 June 2017, Per-Willy Amundsen, Minister of Justice and Public Security, announced the opening of Leonardo's AW101 Norway Training Centre at Stavanger Sola Air Station. The training centre includes an AW101 Full Flight Simulator (FFS), jointly developed by Leonardo and CAE to Level D, which is a CAE Series 3000 device, along with an AW101 SAR console training system linked to the FFS to provide rear crew training. The first training course at the centre started prior to delivery of the first rotorcraft. The training center will be used by both Norwegian and foreign AW101 customers.

The first AW101 was delivered in November 2017. The Norwegian AW101s officially started operating in the rescue role on 1 September 2020. The Sea Kings will be phased out gradually until the middle of 2023, after 47 years of service. The AW101 is named SAR Queen in Norwegian service.

AgustaWestland AW101 Model 612 (SAR Queen):
(Norwegian search and rescue variant)
16 ordered with option for 6 more.
The first AW101 was delivered in November 2017

NOTE:
All aircraft in Norwegian military service are operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force!

source: wikipedia

images

0264

0265

0268

0273

0275

0276

0277

0279

0280

0282

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agusta westland aw101 rescue helicopter royal norwegian air force luftforsvaret sar queen cockpit view 02

agusta westland aw101 rescue helicopter royal norwegian air force luftforsvaret sar queen cockpit 03

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