Leonardo Announces AW09 Single-engine Helicopter Contracts and Partnerships at Heli-Expo 2023
Leonardo makes major announcements at Heli-Expo 2023 of landing global contracts and signing a key collaboration in the U.S.A. market for the AW09 helicopter as the next-generation single-engine program moves ahead.
The company has signed preliminary sales contracts for over 50 units with several customers worldwide, including Aero Service Representação in Brazil; Synerjet Latina SA in Colombia, Peru and Chile; Helitech Asia in Southeast Asia; Safomar in South Africa; Diskopsa for Panama and Guatemala; and Heliflite in Oceania Aero Facility in Japan.
An important agreement was also signed between Leonardo and Metro Aviation, one of the largest privately owned HEMS (helicopter emergency medical service) operators and service providers in the U.S. The collaboration between the two companies aims to support the introduction and positioning of the AW09 in the United States and, in doing so, benefits from Metro Aviation’s renowned capabilities in aircraft interior and STC (supplemental type certificate) development, as well as experience in service and training.
Gian Piero Cutillo, MD Leonardo Helicopters, says, “What we have announced at Heli-Expo is the culmination of three years’ work through which the AW09 benefited from considerable enhancements and has now reached a final configuration, allowing to offer the level of competitiveness that the market expects. Indeed, the AW09 is generating a very positive response from all geographies around the world. Rotorcraft companies highly welcome the AW09 for its outstanding features and multirole capabilities that represent a significant evolution compared to existing products in this category. The preliminary sales contracts signed provide clear evidence of it. Also, combining our industrial capabilities with Metro Aviation’s extensive and recognized experience in operations and support enhances the AW09 value proposition, providing superior mission capabilities to the operators of this platform in a prime single-engine market like U.S.A."
One of the latest evolutions is the decision to on-board the Arriel 2K — the newest member of the Safran engine family — on the AW09, keeping in line with the targeted high-supportability and reliability of the aircraft.
The AW09 single-engine helicopter is one of Leonardo’s key highlights this year at Heli-Expo 2023. The full-scale mock-up of the next-generation helicopter in its final configuration is displayed at the Leonardo booth. Acquired three years ago by Leonardo, the AW09 perfectly complements Leonardo’s product range in the long-light-single segment. The all-new design positions the aircraft to sustain a long-term competitiveness in its weight category.