The AW609 tiltrotor program has set another major capability milestone following its first successful ship trial recently conducted with the support of the Italian Navy.
Leonardo press release
From 3 to 12 April, the AW609 AC4 aircraft, fully representative of the final production configuration, performed demonstration trials while moving from Leonardo’s facility based in Cascina Costa (Samarate) to the Maristaer Grottaglie naval base. A tilt-rotor with test pilots and test engineers from Leonardo (supported by Italian Navy personnel for launched operations) took off from the base on arrival from the Italian aircraft carrier (HIS CAVOUR – Flagship of the Navy’s fleet), 20 nm coastal, showing her effective approach, stable boarding and landing capabilities.
During the demonstration, the AW609 provided a unique opportunity to further raise awareness of the exceptional benefits of the Leonardo tiltrotor in a dedicated maritime environment. This demonstrates that the world’s first civil-certified folding rotor meets demanding operational and safety standards. It is therefore ideally positioned to meet the many needs of state and public services in Italy and around the world.
An integral part of the demonstration phase was an initial test campaign developed and executed in a fully synthetic environment using the AW609 development/engineering simulator located at Cascina Costa. Digital twin applications provided a preliminary assessment of activities and maneuvers that were later implemented in service for the benefit of capability development, time reduction, safety and sustainability. Landing and take-off procedures on board were performed in more than 15 different conditions (including wind conditions), including straight-in and side approach, vertical landing, vertical take-off and side exit.
The demonstration trials are the latest step taken in the activities carried out by a joint task force established in 2022 involving Leonardo, the Italian Navy, the Italian Army and the Guardia di Finanza (Italian Customs Police). The task force’s purpose is to evaluate the potential of tilt-rotor technologies as complementary capabilities to assets already in use among government services, providing rapid long-range capability with vertical take-off and landing and fast weather taxiing through the unique AW609. pressurized cabin and high altitude performance. The assessment carried out by the task force would help define the benefits for logistics transport (vertical take-off/landing, long range, fast point-to-point connection with adverse weather navigation) and later in the future for maritime transport. surveillance (vertical take-off/landing, rapid movement to the patrol area and coverage of a larger area).
“Fast rotorcraft technologies continue to be at the core of our forward-looking capability development and vertical lift value proposition, which has been largely demonstrated by progress on the AW609 tiltrotor program. The recent ship trials in Italy with the strong support of the Italian Navy, in a working group also joined by the Italian Army and the Guardia di Finanza, represent an important step towards the development of government applications as we strengthen our position to lead tiltrotor-based initiatives internationally and for meeting future emerging requirements.
Lorenzo Mariani, Co-CEO of Leonardo
“The success of these trials represents a significant capability demonstration milestone that demonstrates the unique advantages of tilt rotors, and the AW609 in particular, through a combination of high performance and versatility that remains unrivaled in the vertical flight sector. This experience provides an important opportunity to appreciate the advantages that can truly revolutionize a number of missions or even open up new operational possibilities. We thank all our partners in this demonstration and look forward to the next phase of the evaluation for the studies we have conducted.”
Gian Piero Cutillo, CEO of Leonardo Helicopters
After the first test campaign, Leonardo will begin a detailed evaluation and analysis of the collected data. This would allow for possible follow-up trials to better refine the approaches and also lead to further improvements to the platform for operations in the maritime/shipped environment.
The AW609 excels in providing high-speed point-to-point transportation over long distances, enabling timely access to remote locations, hosting up to nine passengers in the comfort of a pressurized cabin, and is therefore designed to transform a variety of missions, including public services. and government roles. The development of the program has so far logged more than 1,900 flight hours in Italy and the USA.
It leverages the unique industrial and technological capabilities and skills that make Leonardo a leading player in the rapidly developing domain of fast rotorcraft, where tilt-rotor architecture is increasingly emerging as the best solution to meet future operational needs.