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PHILADELPHIA, July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AgustaWestland North America, Inc. completed a week of flight demonstrations for the U.S. Army as it moves forward with its Armed Aerial Scout program.

AgustaWestland performed the Armed Aerial Scout demonstrations with the AW139M as a technology demonstrator. AgustaWestland plans to propose a military variant of the AW169 for the mission, based on the U.S. Army's request for information. The AW139 and AW169 possess the same high performance flight characteristics, superior power-to-weight ratios, safety features and share the same common design philosophy and maintenance concepts.

"We welcome the opportunity to have been chosen for the first Armed Aerial Scout flight demonstrations ? we were prepared, ready and we're moving forward," said R. Scott Rettig, CEO of AgustaWestland North America. "We are confident that the breadth and depth of our product portfolio and military expertise will meet the U.S. Army's mission needs, as they assess new technologies and further define the requirements for the Armed Aerial Scout mission."

The AW169 has already found rapid market success; it was designed in response to the growing demand for an aircraft that delivers the highest level of performance, exceeds the latest safety standards and fits our customers' budget needs. The family of helicopters approach will ensure the very best capability is coupled with lifecycle cost savings in areas such as training, maintenance and support.

"We are confident that there is a tremendous market for multirole rotorcraft and in our ability to transform the latest commercial helicopter technology into next-generation military platforms," said Rettig. "In this manner, the Department of Defense can leverage industry's technology investment, and take advantage of cost benefits and support that our commercial customers receive, with the increased safety and performance of these modern platforms."

AgustaWestland is on a flight test program to have the AW169 complete both FAA and EASA certification. The technology and capability of the AW139M, demonstrated for the Armed Aerial Scout program, was militarized for the USAF UH-1N modernization and replacement effort and adjacent national security missions. Most recently, the AW139M was tested and certified by the U.S. Army for safe separation of its modern survivability suite at the Army Materiel Command's Redstone Technical Test Center in Huntsville, Ala.

About AgustaWestland

AgustaWestland North America, a subsidiary of AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, operates as a U.S. company under a special security agreement, responsible for the company's U.S. government programs. AgustaWestland is a global leader in military and commercial vertical-lift. With more than 100 years of experience in the aerospace industry, AgustaWestland provides an unrivaled range of rotorcraft and vertical-lift products and services for every military, government and commercial application.

Contact: Ramona Layne 571-332-0695 mobilerlayne@awnainc.com

SOURCE AgustaWestland North America, Inc.