AFM’s aerial rescue ops dependent on just one helicopter

The Armed Forces of Malta have been operating with a single search-and-rescue helicopter since at least June 2025, leaving the country’s primary emergency aviation capability critically exposed.

Only one AgustaWestland AW139 has been operational, with the remaining aircraft grounded for prolonged maintenance. One helicopter is expected to return to service in the first quarter of this year, while another will do so only once its maintenance programme is completed, the AFM told The Shift in reply to questions.

The situation marks a steep decline from 2020, when the AFM’s Air Wing operated a fleet of five helicopters: three AW139s and two Alouette IIIs.

The Alouette IIIs have been retired and two of the three AW139s have been out of service for nearly two years.

The Alouette III models were discontinued by the manufacturer in 2022, and the AFM formally withdrew its aircraft from service in 2024 following a series of emergency landings that drew public scrutiny.

The Shift is informed that the extensive maintenance programme for the AW139 fleet was entrusted to RotorTechnics, formerly GulfMed Aviation Services, a Malta-based company. The contract was awarded through a negotiated procedure (another term for direct orders).

In reply to questions, an AFM spokesperson said the maintenance works were costing “approximately €6 million”, adding that the final sum “may vary depending on the scope of tasks completed”.

The spokesperson also confirmed that 11 AFM Air Wing technicians are employed part-time with RotorTechnics, stressing that “AFM soldiers are permitted to undertake private work in line with established regulations”.

According to Business Air News, RotorTechnics is the sole licensed maintenance provider for AW139 helicopters in Malta. The same publication estimates that a brand-new AW139 carries a price tag of around €12 million.

To put that figure into perspective, that price tag amounts to over a fourth of what the AFM spent on salaries and wages (€51 million) in 2024.

The AFM announced last year that it had signed a contract to purchase an additional AW139, though manufacture and delivery are expected to take between two and three years.

An AFM veteran who alerted The Shift to the situation said that a fully operational Air Wing would require at least three twin-engine helicopters such as the AW139, supported by three single-engine aircraft.

“Single-engine helicopters like the old Alouette IIIs are only good for short distances, but a twin-engine beast like the AW139 can fly you all the way to Greece if you know what you’re doing… If an emergency had to happen right now and for some reason our only helicopter were to become unavailable, we’d have to beg the Italian army for support,” the source said.

Opposition MP Darren Carabott was among the first to raise concerns about the AFM’s reliance on a single helicopter for critical operations.

“Our armed forces are routinely called upon to deal with emergencies and disasters, particularly search-and-rescue operations at sea, especially during the summer months,” Carabott told The Shift. “On an island like ours, it is simply unacceptable for such essential services to depend on a single aircraft.”

He questioned how operations would be sustained if the helicopter required servicing or if multiple emergencies arose simultaneously.

While welcoming the December announcement that a new AW139 had been ordered, Carabott said it did little to address the immediate shortfall.

“Our troops need reliable equipment now, not years from now. The country deserves a clear and accountable plan to ensure that this situation is never repeated,” he said.

The AFM has suffered from severe mismanagement over the years, particularly since the government inundated the military’s top ranks with party loyalists who were promoted up the chain at breakneck speed.

While select officials like Mark Mallia were awarded cushy postings elsewhere in government after their fraught tenures at the helm of the armed forces, the AFM itself continues to be poorly managed, with the cannabis container debacle marking the latest blow to the military’s credibility.

In February last year, 132 blocks of cannabis resin were stolen from AFM’s barracks in Ħal Safi. The blocks were held within AFM’s supposedly secure compound due to a lack of storage space for the large haul of cannabis that was seized from Malta’s Freeport.

Of those 132 blocks, 49kg remain unaccounted for as of last November, with no further updates from the Home Affairs ministry on the subject.