According a statement released on December 23, 2019, to the official website of U.S. Department Of Defense, AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corp., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $38,432,233 firm-fixed-price Foreign Military Sales (Israel) contract for seven new AW119Kx helicopter, pilot and maintainer training, initial spares package, tools and ground support equipment, engine spares and the development of training aid devices.

AW119Kx is a single-engine helicopter designed and developed by the Italian company AgustaWestland, now Leonardo. (Picture source Leonardo)

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has announced on 17 February 2019, that Israel has procured seven AgustaWestland AW119Kx Koala training helicopters to replace the aging Bell OH-58s it has fielded since 1970.

The AW119Kx is a fast, light single-engine helicopter equipped with modern avionics and a spacious interior to enable flexibility in the role. Featuring modern technology, the AW119Kx offers excellent flying qualities, a Garmin G1000H™ glass cockpit and best-in-class levels of safety typical of light twin category helicopters. The cockpit’s design enhances situational awareness, reducing the pilot workload.

The AW119Kx helicopter is an improved and upgraded version of the AW119Ke Koala. It features a high-resistance cocoon-type airframe, which offers high-power and improved performance. The aircraft also has a dual-independent hydraulic system and dual-independent stability augmentation system (SAS). It features four rotor blades with a width of 7.76m. It also includes emergency floats, an oxygen system, an external hoist, and a fire-fighting belly tank.