Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia


An AW609 in aeroplane mode at the 2007 Paris Air Show
Role	VTOL corporate transport
National origin	United States / Italy
Manufacturer	Bell/Agusta Aerospace AgustaWestland Leonardo S.p.A.
First flight	7 March 2003
Introduction	Late 2020s (expected)
Status	Final Certification Testing

The AgustaWestland (now Leonardo) AW609, formerly the Bell/Agusta BA609, is a twin-engined tiltrotor VTOL aircraft with a configuration similar to that of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. It is capable of landing vertically like a helicopter while having a range and speed in excess of conventional rotorcraft. The AW609 is aimed at the civil aviation market, in particular VIP customers and offshore oil and gas operators.

The BA609 drew on experience gained from Bell's earlier experimental tiltrotor, the XV-15. In 1996, Bell and Boeing had formed a partnership to develop a civil tiltrotor aircraft; however, in March 1998, it was announced that Boeing had pulled out of the project. In September 1998, it was announced that Agusta had become a partner in the development program. This led to the establishment of the Bell/Agusta Aerospace Company (BAAC), a joint venture between Bell Helicopter and AgustaWestland, to develop and manufacture the aircraft. The Italian government subsidized Agusta's development of a military tiltrotor, and as the AW609 has civilian aspects

Design

The AW609 is a tiltrotor aircraft capable of performing vertical landings whereas conventional fixed-wing aircraft cannot, allowing the type to serve locations such as heliports or very small airports, while possessing twice the speed and the range of any available helicopter. AgustaWestland promotes the type as "...combining the benefits of a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft into one aircraft". The AW609 appears to be outwardly similar to the military-orientated V-22 Osprey; however, the two aircraft share few components. Unlike the V-22, the AW609 has a pressurised cabin. As of 2013, multiple cabin configurations have been projected, including a standard nine-passenger layout, a six-to-seven-passenger VIP/executive cabin, and a search and rescue model featuring a hoist/basket and four single seats; medevac and patrol/surveillance-orientated variants has also been proposed. For increased passenger comfort, the cabin is both pressurised and equipped with soundproofing. Access to the cabin is via a 35-inch-wide (89 cm), two-piece clamshell door center-set into the fuselage underneath the wings

Aeromacchi Leonardo

Bell / Agusta (now Leonardo)
AW609 Tiltrotor

General Info

Crew: 2 Capacity: 6 to 9 passengers or 5,500 lb (2,500 kg) payload Length: 13.4 m (44 ft 0 in) Wingspan: 10 m (32 ft 10 in) (distance between prop-rotor centres) Width: 18.3 m (60 ft 0 in) rotors turning Height: 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in) to top of fin Empty weight: 4,765 kg (10,505 lb)

Powerplant

Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67A turboshaft engines (1,940 hp) each Main rotor diameter: 2 × 7.9 m Main rotor area: 49 m² (530 sq ft) each - 3-bladed prop-rotors

Performance

Maximum speed: 509 km/h
Cruise speed: 509 km/h (316 mph,
Range: 1,389 km (863 mi, 750 nmi) normal fuel + 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) payload at 463 km/h
Endurance: 3 hours with normal fuel
Service ceiling: 7,620 m (25,000 ft) *Hover Ceiling out of Ground Effect (HOGE): 1,525 m (5,003 ft)
g limits: +3.1 -1

Related development

Related lists
- List of VTOL aircraft

Special Links Aeromacchi Leonardo

Links to Youtube & Others

The BA609 drew on experience gained from Bell's earlier experimental tiltrotor, the XV-15.[2][3] In 1996, Bell and Boeing had formed a partnership to develop a civil tiltrotor aircraft; however, in March 1998,

Bell / Agusta
AW609 Tiltrotor

Bell/Agusta aimed the aircraft "at the government and military markets".[77] Another key market for the AW609 has been offshore oil and gas operations,

Youtube Link

On the occasion of the Jesolo Airshow Gianfranco Cito, Head of Flight Test Department of the AW609 presents the features of Leonardo's

Bell / Agusta
AW-609 Tilt Rotor