15-Jul-2014 Source: AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland will be exhibiting an impressive line-up of eight helicopters from its commercial and military helicopter product ranges and showcasing its industry leading customer support and training services at this year’s Farnborough International Air Show.
Making its first appearance at Farnborough will be a full scale mock-up of the recently launched AW109 Trekker light twin helicopter. Also from its commercial helicopter range the 4.5 tonne class AW169 and 8 tonne class AW189 will be on display, two of the Company’s products from its unique Family concept that also includes the AW139 and spans the 4 to 8 tonne weight categories.
Military helicopters on display will include a mock-up of the AW169M light intermediate class helicopter, the naval variant of the AW159, the brand new multi-role AW149 and an at the top of the weight range an AW101 that will soon be delivered to the Italian Air Force. Also on display will be a naval variant of the NH90, produced by NH Industries in which Finmeccanica – AgustaWestland has a 32% stake.
Also on display will be examples of the wide range of customer support and training services Finmeccanica – AgustaWestland is able to offer its customers. These services range from innovative through life support solution to aircraft upgrades, aircrew and technician training courses through to the supply of entire training systems including full flight simulators and training devices.
AW169M
A detailed full scale mockup of the military variant of the AW169, designated the AW169M, will be on show. The first brand new helicopter in the light intermediate category to be certified to the latest standards, the AW169M features high safety, crashworthiness and damage tolerance. Suitable for utility, combat SAR, medical evacuation, advanced training and parapublic duties, the AW169 is a highly versatile helicopter that features an open architecture avionic system and a wide range of optional mission equipment.
AW159
The AW159 is a new generation multi-role military helicopter that is now replacing Lynx helicopters in service with the Royal Navy and British Army. Designed with the same attributes that have made the Lynx the world’s best maritime helicopter in its class, the AW159 is set to claim this title.The AW159 has a semi-rigid rotor head which gives it high agility and the same legendary ship operating capabilities of the Lynx helicopter.
AW149
The AW149 answers a growing demand for a new generation, affordable, multi-purpose medium class helicopter, for military and government applications. Fully digitised and with an open systems architecture (OSA) and fully integrated mission equipment, the AW149 is designed for the modern battlefield. With a rugged construction incorporating crashworthy features, such as up to eighteen crashworthy troop seats and excellent access and egress, the AW149 maximises survivability. Twin engines ensure high performance in hot and high conditions. A 4-axis auto-pilot and advanced latest generation avionics system serves to minimise crew work load. The aircraft can also be configured to carry a variety of weapons and stores on external carriers. The AW149 is suited to battlefield support, combat SAR, reconnaissance, surveillance, medical evacuation, search and rescue (SAR) and command and control support roles.
AW101
The Italian Air Force’s Personnel Recovery and Special Forces variant of the AW101 will be making its first ever public appearance. This specialised variant of the AW101, designated the HH-101A “CAESAR” by the Italian Air Force, is configured for up to five crew members plus 20 fully equipped troops or six crew members plus eight troops for special forces operations. The helicopter is also equipped with three M134 7.62 mm pintle mounted Gatling-type machine guns, armoured cockpit seats, ballistic protection and an Integrated Electronic Warfare System to provide self-protection against radar, laser and infrared threats. The HH-101A also comes equipped with an air-to-air refuelling probe for extended range operations.
The AW101 is the most advanced medium lift helicopter available today and is in service, in production and in demand for its proven performance and advanced safety features. The AW101 offers long-range, large capacity and advanced technology, all combined in a cost-effective, multi-mission aircraft opening up a new era in rotary wing operations. Over 220 AW101 helicopters have been ordered so far by customers worldwide to perform a large number of roles including Personnel Recovery, Special Forces Operations, SAR, Combat SAR, utility, troop transport, Anti-Surface Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Airborne Early Warning, mine sweeping and VVIP transport
AW109 Trekker
Also making its first appearance at a Farnborough Air Show is the AW109 Trekker, a new addition to Finmeccanica – AgustaWestland’s light twin-engine helicopter range and the first to offer skid landing gear. First unveiled in March this year the AW109 Trekker has a maximum take-off weight of 3,175 kg (7,000 lb) and 3,200 kg (7,055 lb) with external loads and over 1,500 kg (3,306 lb) of useful load together with a class leading cruise speed of 160 knots (296 km/h) giving it the highest productivity in the light twin turbine helicopter market.
The AW109 Trekker, based on the best-selling AW109/Grand range of helicopters, is equipped with skid landing gear and a state-of-the-art glass cockpit. Power is provided by two FADEC equipped Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207C engines each rated at 608 kW (815 shp) at maximum contingency power. With the modular five-cell fuel system the AW109 Trekker has an endurance of up to 4 hours 20 minutes or a range of 445 nm (824 km).
Developed to provide the perfect solution for utility and aerial work operations, the AW109 Trekker maintains the same characteristics of high productivity, excellent flying qualities, high controllability and manoeuvrability, robustness and high inherent safety of AgustaWestland’s other light twin helicopters.
AW169
A full scale model of an emergency medical service configured AW169 will be on display highlighting the aircraft’s advanced features and space that make it ideally suitable for this important market. The AW169 is a new twin-engine helicopter type designed to meet the growing market demand for a versatile and multi-role 4-tonne class rotorcraft. The AW169 is the first brand-new helicopter in this class in decades offering the very latest in rotorcraft technology and highly competitive economics.
AW189
The AW189, which made its first appearance at Farnborough Air Show in 2012 is now EASA certified and in service, was designed in response to the growing market demand for a versatile, affordable, multirole medium helicopter. On display will be an offshore transport configured aircraft that will soon enter service with Weststar Aviation Services of Malaysia. The new 8.3 tonne, twin-engine helicopter is optimized for long range offshore transport and SAR missions and has already received over 130 orders, including framework agreements and options, making it the outright market leader in its class.
The spacious cabin is configured with 16 seats as standard with the option for a high density 19 seat layout or a long range 12 seat configuration. The AW189 is unique in having a 50 minute ‘run-dry’ capable main gear box, exceeding current certification standards and offering unmatched safety and reliability for long range offshore operations.
NH90
The NH90 is the 11 ton class, medium lift, multi-role military helicopter developed from NATO Staff Requirements, the result of an extensive European collaboration programme. The Italian Navy NH90 NFH that will be on display at Farnborough Air Show is one of two main versions that are available from the core air vehicle: the TTH, Tactical Transport Helicopter, and the NFH, the naval version.The TTH operates in troop and cargo transport, casualty evacuation, search and rescue (SAR) / combat SAR applications. The NFH is designed primarily for autonomous anti-submarine hunting and control of anti-surface unit threat missions. The advanced mission systems integration, a wide variety of sensors, a fully marinised airframe and effective weapons systems ensure the NFH provides unique capabilities to perform in the most demanding shipborne naval warfare missions. Use of advances in safety and crashworthy design, full fly-by-wire controls, composite fuselage and state-of-the-art avionics make the NH90 one of the most advanced military dedicated helicopters on the market today.
Customer Support& Training
AgustaWestland is investing and expanding its customer support and training offerings to ensure customers can get the best possible utilization and capabilities from their helicopters and their personnel obtain the best possible training to enhance safety and mission effectiveness.
A network of Fleet Operation Centres assures prompt and complete assistance 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year, to support any customer request. Additionally there are now over 80 authorized service centres strategically located around the world to provide local support to commercial operators.
Finmeccanica – AgustaWestland provides end-to-end training services for through life effectiveness, utilizing advanced multi-media technology in the classroom and via web-based training, part task trainers and full flight/mission simulators.