SHAH ALAM: Back in 2015/2016, the government signed the contract to procure six Leonardo AW139 helicopters for the police’s Air Wing. The six helicopters have since been delivered though one crashed in Tawau in February 2020.

It is likely the helicopter- 9M-PMC – was declared a total loss as she has not been recorded flying since then. Anyhow, the Home Ministry on January 10 2024, issued a request for bids to supply flight helmets (bone dome) for AW139 crews. The tender closes on January 31.

In the specifications page, it was stated that the number of flight helmets being sought was one hundred units. The flight helmets, among others, should be:

Petender perlu menyatakan jenis bahan Flight Helmet (BoneDome) yang ditawarkan. Ciri-ciri bahan yang dibekalkan hendaklah tahan lasak,ringan, selesa dan sesuai digunakan untuk tujuan penerbangan sebagai contoh diperbuat daripada gabungan bahan yang ringan seperti Kevlar dan Carbon Fibre,
atau bahan konstruksi modern composite shell yang ringan tetapi kukuh. Sila kemukakan sebarang dokumen teknikal/laporan, pengilang/laporan makmal bagi
menyokong kenyataan.
Petender perlu menyatakan pilihan warna Flight Helmet Bone Dome yang boleh dibekalkan. Keutamaan akan diberikan kepada warna Hitam
Kusam (Black Matte), Biru, Putih, Kuning, Merah atau Oren. Warna muktamad akan dipilih kemudian oleh Penggunaaan Petender.
Boleh digunakan untuk operasi NVG, di mana tapak pemasangan set NVG
tersedia

The estimate cost for the RFB is RM1.2 million. It is interesting to note that number of flight helmets being sought – 100 – is a big batch compared to the number of helicopters they have.

Even if they have two crews each for the five AW139s in service – two pilots and two quarter masters – they will have an excess of around sixty brand new flight helmets.

It must be noted from pictures posted by PDRM on the AW139, only the two quartermasters – used the flight helmets – during tactical operations. The pilots just used the headsets even for such operations. Perhaps the pilots used the flight helmets for night flying so they can use night vision goggles (NVG). This is the same for the Airbus Ecureuil helicopters, the pilots used headsets only while the single quarter master used the flight helmets during tactical operations, demonstrations or otherwise.

I am assuming that when the new flight helmets are delivered, the AW139 pilots will also use flight helmets – during tactical operations and while flying at night using NVGs.

It is for this reason I also believed that the five helicopters to be bought under the 2024 budget will also be AW139s as well.

— Malaysian Defence

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