AIRCRAFT PROGRAM
| Lift type | Tilt-rotor | ||
| Construction type | Factory-built | ||
| Control type | Piloted | ||
| Engine type | Turboshaft | ||
| Application | Business | ||
| Final assembly | Philadelphia (Northeast) , Taranto (Grottaglie) | ||
| Search for other aircraft programs with these properties on the Aircraft Programs directory page. | |||
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The fuselage is aluminium with skin and wing formed of composites. The fuselage skin incorporates graphite stringers and Toray composites, as do the wing and nacelles.
The T tail configuration has conventional elevators and no rudder. The horizontal tailplane can be raised above the rotor wake to minimise pitching at transition phase.
Size of wing determined by fuel requirement vs centre of gravity and safety. It has two-segment, trailing edge flaperons.
Titanium/composites cross shafts keep both proprotors turning in event of single engine failure. A manual screw jack facility enables the proprotors to be tilted into helicopter mode if cross shafts fail.
| Variant | Launch/First flight | Production end | |
| Leonardo AW609 | 1997 / 2003 | Light utility tiltrotor, formerly known as BA609 due to prior Boeing influence. |
View full news archive for the Leonardo AW609.
| Design | Design Software (1) |
| Materials | Composite Materials (3) Metals (1) |
| Airframe & Structures | Airframe Assemblies (4) Landing Assemblies (2) Structural Components (1) |
| Propulsion | Engine Rotating & Gas-Path Parts (3) Rotors & Propellers (2) Turbine Engines (1) |
| Mechanical Systems & Hardware | Fasteners (2) Mechanical Hardware (2) Power Transmission (1) Tubing, Hoses & Conduits (1) Valves (2) |
| Fluid, Fuel & Environmental Systems | Fluid Power (1) Fuel Systems (2) |
| Electrical & Electronic | Batteries & Accessories (1) Terminals, Relays & Switching (1) |
| Avionics, Instruments & Sensors | Air Data & Flight Instruments (2) Imaging and Visual Systems (1) Navigation Aids (1) Sensors, Transducers & Detectors (1) Warning Systems (1) |