ANNAPOLIS — The arrival of the first two multipurpose Medevac helicopters in the Maryland State Police’s new fleet will be delayed indefinitely while the state and manufacturer negotiate changes related to medical equipment on board, state officials said Thursday.

The first two of 10 Agusta AW139 helicopters, ordered at a total cost of $120.4 million, were scheduled to be delivered May 1 to Maryland.

Maryland Department of Transportation and Maryland State Police Aviation Command officials declined to discuss details about alterations to the order, other than to say they were deemed important for the helicopters to perform their mission.

“It involves modifications related to emergency medical services equipment,” said spokesman Jack Cahalan of the Maryland Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the contract. The helicopters also will be used for law-enforcement purposes.

The change order was requested by the Maryland State Police and the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, Cahalan said.

“They’re not golden cup holders,” Maj. Mark E. Gibbons, commander of the Maryland State Police Aviation Command told a House Emergency Medical Systems Workgroup on Thursday, referring to the changes.

Workgroup Vice Chairman Del. Marvin E. Holmes Jr. (D-Dist. 23B) of Kettering asked how much the change order was expected to cost.

A contingency fund, which totals $6.9 million, will cover the cost, said Jim Haley, program director for helicopter replacement with the transportation department.

In October 2010, the Board of Public Works approved an initial $72 million contract with AgustaWestland, an Anglo-Italian helicopter company with a plant in Philadelphia, for six of the helicopters.

Last year, the order was expanded to 10 helicopters. State officials still are debating whether to purchase an 11th.

“Change orders are normal and are to be anticipated in large-scale production contracts,” Cahalan said.

The public works board would have to approve any change to the initial contract, Cahalan said. It is expected to go to the board in the spring, he said.

The timetable for delivery of the helicopters will be flexible, pending finalization of the change order, he said.

A fatal crash in 2008 that took four lives prompted a decision to begin replacing the existing fleet of Dauphin helicopters, some of which have seen more than 20 years of service.

A national panel, convened after the crash to review the state’s Medevac program, recommended that Maryland establish a task force to determine if its emergency helicopters were correctly located. Also, the panel, which praised the state program as a national model, said officials needed to take steps to bring the fleet into compliance with federal air ambulance standards.

The Agusta AW139 had been on schedule and on budget, Haley said.

“At some point we will want to talk about the purchase of the 11th helicopter,” said Del. John L. Bohanan Jr. (D-Dist. 29B) of California, chairman of the workgroup.

cford@gazette.net