(March 11, 2010) -- AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that a contract has been signed by the Government of India for the acquisition of twelve AW101 helicopters that will perform government transport duties. The contract, valued at around EUR 560 million, includes an extensive five year logistic support service and initial aircrew and technician training. Over 180 AW101 helicopters have been ordered by customers around the world so far to perform a wide range of government, public service and military missions. The AW101 has logged nearly 200,000 flight hours in service in Italy, UK, Denmark, Portugal, Japan and Canada whilst delivering exceptional performance and high levels of safety.

Giuseppe Orsi, CEO, AgustaWestland said "This significant order by the Indian Air Force to meet its government transport helicopter requirement confirms the correct vision and strategy of AgustaWestland in India. Several years ago we identified India as one of the pillars of our expansion strategy, from both the market and the industrial points of view. Today we have a significant and growing presence in both the military and commercial markets Additionally we now have strong industrial relations with Tata Son, with whom we have established a Joint Venture initially for the production of the AW119 Koala but soon this will become a wider platform for our growth in the region. The particularly good personal relations with Ratan Tata, who recently visited AgustaWestland at Cascina Costa, will further enhance the joint commitment to the expansion of the helicopter industry in India to satisfy various requirements which are estimated to be valued at EUR5-6 billion in the short to medium term."