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Leonardo Breaks Ground on Customer Support Center in Northwest Florida

Our Bureau - : Jul 31, 2023 - : 11:54 pm

Leonardo has officially broken ground on a state-of-the-art customer support center at Whiting Aviation Park in Milton, FL. The Leonardo Helicopters Florida Support Center is slated to be completed by the end of 2024.

In partnership with Space Florida, Leonardo Helicopters will invest over US$65 million dollars towards the construction of a 113,000 sq/ft facility for aftermarket support for Leonardo’s aircraft.

The new facility will provide major component repair and overhaul, transmission testing and repair along with new tooling, a full-sized paint booth, and a spacious warehouse for spare parts.

Joined by partners from Santa Rosa County, Space Florida, Triumph Gulf Coast and the State of Florida, Leonardo announced last Friday that construction had officially begun on its new facility, on a site adjacent to Naval Air Station Whiting Field (NASWF). The facility will include four large hangar bays, major component repair and overhaul, transmission work that will include Dynamic Test Bench, a full-sized 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.

“We are thrilled to break ground at Whiting Aviation Park on Leonardo Helicopters’ new Florida Support Center” said Clyde Woltman, Chief Executive Officer of Leonardo Helicopters US. “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.”

In January 2020, the United States Navy selected a variant of the Leonardo AW119, now named the TH-73 “Thrasher”, to serve as the primary training aircraft for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. 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.

“Space Florida’s unwavering commitment to expanding the spaceport system in Florida has set a course for a new era of exploration and innovation,” said Frank DiBello, president and CEO, Space Florida. “Adding Leonardo Helicopters to our aerospace sector propels us toward a future where Florida is the leading force for a global aerospace economy.”

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