Every Bulletin story and press release covering Leonardo Helicopters, newest first.
11 items
The Pegasus rescue hoist joins Leonardos AW139 offering with ETSO certification and aims to improve hoist mission performance reliability.
An additional contract for four helicopters and sustainment followed closely behind an earlier eight-aircraft deal worth $173 million.
Leonardo produces the baseline helicopter at its plant in northeast Philadelphia, while Boeing is responsible for military equipment procurement and installation and post-delivery support of the aircraft.
Four prototypes have been built since first flight in summer 2022, with two flying aircraft involved in performance, system integration and payload testing and two more now completed and to start testing soon.
Delivering all of the RDT&E aircraft to the Air Force enables them to continue critical operational testing and allows Boeing to focus on building the first production aircraft.
The consortium has devised a special wing that includes more effective moving surfaces controlled by a new actuation system, which will be flight-tested as part of Clean Sky 2.
The contract includes the manufacturing of the Kopter AW09 main and tail rotor control cables utilising Triumph's flexball cables, designed to provide a low-maintenance solution..
The initiation of low-rate production will yield the first operational aircraft set to replace the U.S. Air Force's current fleet of UH-1N “Huey” helicopters, with first delivery slated for 2024.
The new propulsion system is already installed on the latest AW09 prototype, PS4 (Pre Series 4), which is about to start flight test activities at Kopter’s facility in Mollis.
Designated AC5, the aircraft took to the air at Leonardo's Philadelphia-based site on 13th October performing as expected the initial in-flight evaluation of systems and general handling.
A wheel made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic will offer enhanced mechanical properties at about half the density of metal wheels. It will be made with tailored fibre placement, braiding and out of autoclave processes.