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HelicoptersIn service
Anti-submarine warfare , medium-lift transport , search and rescue and utility helicopter
AgustaWestland AW101 is a anti-submarine warfare , medium-lift transport , search and rescue and utility helicopter originating in Italy United Kingdom. The cited manufacturer or builder is Agusta Westland Helicopters AgustaWestland Finmeccanica Leonardo S.p.A.. Published specifications list length 19.53 m; the configuration for each measurement is shown below.
Italy United KingdomTechnical data
Anti-submarine warfare , medium-lift transport , search and rescue and utility helicopter
Italy United Kingdom
Agusta Westland Helicopters AgustaWestland Finmeccanica Leonardo S.p.A.
In service
Royal Navy Royal Air Force (historical) Polish Navy Royal Norwegian Air Force Italian Navy
1990s–present
1999
9 October 1987
AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel
3–4
19.53 m (64 ft 1 in) fuselage
6.62 m (21 ft 9 in)
10,500 kg (23,149 lb)
15,600 kg (34,392 lb)
3 × Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322-01 turboshaft engines, 1,566 kW (2,100 hp) each (take-off power)
18.59 m (61 ft 0 in)
278 km/h (173 mph, 150 kn)
1,389 km (863 mi, 750 nmi)
5 hours
4,575 m (15,010 ft)
271.51 m 2 (2,922.5 sq ft) root: RAE 9651; tip: RAE 9645/RAE 9634
309 km/h (192 mph, 167 kn)
4× Sting Ray homing torpedoes or Mk 11 depth charges
26 troops (38 passengers) or 5 tonnes of payload or 4 stretchers (with sonar array removed) for Merlin HM1; 30 seated troops or 45 standing fully equipped combat troops, or 3,050 kg (6,724 lb) of internal payload, 5,520 kg (12,169 lb) of external payload, or 16 stretchers for AW101
Powerplant GE CT7-8E Turboshafts with FADEC
Overall length 22.83 m 74 ft 11 in
Overall height 6.66 m 21 ft 10 in
Rotor diameter 18.60 m 61 ft 0 in
Capacity 2 pilots, 1 air crewman, 25+ troops on crashworthy seating
length 22.83 m
Weight 15,600 kg
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
True scale
Sourced dimensions beside a 1.75 m human reference.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sept 2026 | 22.83 m | helicopters.leonardo.com | superseded |
| 28 Sept 2026 | 22.83 m | helicopters.leonardo.com | approved |
| 28 Sept 2026 | 22.83 m | helicopters.leonardo.com | superseded |
AW101 equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
AlgeriaDated directory active-fleet estimate for AW101, grouped under AW101. Only the explicitly listed service/role Active cells are included. Ordered, stored and upgrade aircraft are excluded. This is the directory coverage of these source types, not a national total, complete owned-fleet census or readiness count.
CanadaRoyal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) exact named equipment holdings: AW101 Merlin (CH-149 Cormorant). Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: HELICOPTERS / SAR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
DenmarkNumber column of the Wikipedia list table under "Helicopters". The list's own wording applies; it is a compiled secondary source, not an official census.
IndonesiaReported count for AgustaWestland AW101 · Mk 641. Service scope: Indonesian Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Excludes retired/reserve/on-order rows. Count column(s): in service: 1. Origin: United Kingdom / Italy. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
ItalyReported count for AW101 · –. Service scope: Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 12. Origin: Italy UK. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2026), not the article revision. 2026 cited source edition. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
JapanNaval Aviation exact named equipment holdings: AW101 Merlin (CH-101). Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: HELICOPTERS / Medium. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
LibyaReported count for AW101. Service scope: Libyan Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): quantity: 1. Origin: Italy. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
NigeriaAir Force exact named equipment holdings: AW101. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: HELICOPTERS / Medium. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
NorwayAir Force exact named equipment holdings: AW101. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: HELICOPTERS / SAR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
PolandDirectory active-fleet estimate for the source types AW101, grouped under AW101. Sums only the listed service and role rows; includes training and special-mission versions where explicitly listed. Excludes the separate Ordered column, aircraft in storage, aircraft undergoing or awaiting upgrades, and the directory's other exclusions. This is the dated directory coverage of these types, not a complete owned-fleet census or a readiness count.
PortugalAir Force exact named equipment holdings: AW101 Merlin (6 SAR, 4 CSAR, 2 fishery protection). Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: HELICOPTERS / Medium. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
United KingdomTotal reported rotary-wing holdings of the named platforms, including aircraft outside the effective forward fleet. Not an active-only or readiness count. Platforms included: Merlin HM2 [Note 13]; Merlin Mk3/3a/4/4a/iMk3.
Royal Navy Royal Air Force (historical) Polish Navy Royal Norwegian Air Force Italian Navy
Equipment reference ↗Naval Aviation exact named equipment holdings: AW101 Merlin. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: HELICOPTERS / Medium. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
Reported count for AW101 · SH-101A / AW101 · MH-101A / AW101 · EH-101A. Service scope: Italian Naval Aviation; does not replace a national total. 3 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Excludes retired/reserve/on-order rows. Count column(s): in service: 10 / in service: 8 / in service: 4. Origin: Italy UK. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.