In partnership with
Space Florida,
Leonardo Helicopters is investing over $65 million towards the construction of a 113,000ft
2 facility for aftermarket support for its helicopters. Leonardo officially broke ground on the new ‘state of the art’ Customer Support Centre at Whiting Aviation Park in Milton, Florida, during a ceremony held at the end of last month.
Joined by partners from Santa Rosa County, Space Florida, Triumph Gulf Coast and the State of Florida. The support centre, which will be adjacent to Naval Air Station Whiting Field (NASWF), will feature four large hangar bays, major component repair and overhaul and transmission work that will include a dynamic test bench, a full-size paint booth and all associated tooling and equipment. In addition, a large parts warehouse will also be co-located to enable a more efficient supply chain response for the US Navy’s TH-73 fleet at NASWF as well as for commercial customers operating throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
Clyde Woltman, CEO of Leonardo Helicopters in the USA, said: “We are thrilled to break ground at Whiting Aviation Park on Leonardo Helicopters’ new Florida Support Center. With this modern and highly efficient facility, Leonardo Helicopters will be able to bring its industry-leading product support services even closer to our customers. We would not be here today if not for the constant partnership and support of the State of Florida, Space Florida, Santa Rosa County, Triumph Gulf Coast, and the US Navy.
Leonardo first announced its intention to build a helicopter support centre at Whiting Aviation Park in 2019, if its aircraft was selected for the US Navy’s Advanced Helicopter Training System, the Navy’s comprehensive program to replace its aging fleet of TH-57 ‘Sea Rangers’ that operate from NASWF. In January of 2020, the US Navy selected a variant of the Leonardo AW119, now named the TH-73 ‘Thrasher’, to serve as the primary training aircraft for the US Navy, US Marine Corps, and US Coast Guard as well as other allied nations.
The first aircraft was delivered to the US Navy in June of 2021 and in July, with the support of Santa Rosa County and Triumph Gulf Coast, Leonardo opened a temporary hangar at Peter Prince Airport to gain its FAA Part 145 certification and begin repair work while a larger, permanent facility was being designed and developed at Whiting. Since that time, Leonardo has hired 19 full-time employees in Santa Rosa County.
The Leonardo Helicopters Florida Support Centre is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.