Leonardo has selected the Pegasus next-generation rescue hoist from Onboard Systems Hoist & Winch for integration on helicopters in its portfolio beginning with the AW139.

Pegasus is the company’s first clean-sheet hoist redesign in more than 30 years and incorporates 37 design patents.

“Leonardo's commitment to innovation, performance, and safety makes them an ideal partner and launch customer for our Pegasus DC rescue hoist,” says Mike Fox, Vice President of Sales at Signia Aerospace, parent company of Onboard Systems. “We are proud to support Leonardo in bringing next-generation hoist capability to operators worldwide.”

“Pegasus is the culmination of nearly a decade of innovative engineering, advanced analysis, robust testing, and prototyping using modern materials and cutting-edge manufacturing technologies,” says Bejan Maghsoodi, Senior Technical Fellow and Pegasus design architect. “The result is a hoist that not only meets evolving regulatory requirements, but delivers significant improvements in performance, reliability and ongoing maintenance across the board.”

The compact design will also support retrofit kits for Leonardo helicopters already flying legacy Onboard hoists.