The Agusta A109A made his maiden flight on 4 August 1971. It is a light-weight, twin engine, eight seat multi-purpose helicopter. The AgustaWestland AW119 Koala is a single-engine development.
?VFR certification was awarded on June 1 1975 although series production had already begun in 1974. First production deliveries took place in late 1976. The helicopter was originally named Hirundo, but this name was later dropped. Single pilot IFR certification was granted in January 1977.
The base A-109A was superseded by the upgraded A-109A Mk.II from September 1981. Improvements incorporated in the Mk.II included a greater transmission rating, redesigned tailboom and a new tail rotor driveshaft, improved rotor blade life and modern avionics. The Mk.II is also available in widebody configuration with increased internal volume courtesy of bulged fuselage side panels and reshaped fuel tanks under the cabin floor. The Mk.II Plus has the more powerful 250-C20R1 engines, as does the A-109C. The 109C also has composite rotor blades.
AW109S Grand
The Grand is a top of the range light twin helicopter developed to meet a wide range of market requirements and provides levels of cabin space and payload that until now could only be met by larger, more expensive helicopters. This new intermediate size helicopter with light twin economics fits as a natural addition to the product line, at the upper end of the light twin FAR/JAR 27 segment.? The Grand?s spacious, unobstructed passenger cabin with wide sliding cabin doors on both sides, give space and easy access. The Grand?s new generation Pratt & Whitney PW207C turboshaft engines with electronic control (FADEC) together with an up-rated transmission ensure outstanding performance, including full Category ?A?, Class 1 capability. State-of-the-art avionics for single/dual IFR operation, including a three-axis duplex autopilot coupled with a Flight Director, are standard features of the helicopter. The wide range of interiors and equipment assures versatility to accomplish missions such as executive/VIP transportation, SAR, EMS, offshore operations, law enforcement and coastal patrol. The payload/range characteristics and the very high cruise speed make the Grand a unique helicopter in its category.
On August 18, 2008 a Agusta Westland AW 109 (formerly Agusta A109) Grand model helicopter completed a round the world record trip. The unmodified Agusta AW 109 helicopter set a new world speed record by completing the journey in 271 hours and one minute.
AW109 Power
The AW109 Power is a versatile aircraft that offers the highest level of benefits for commercial, government and military markets, combining optimum performance with cost-effectiveness. The Power?s flexibility allows it to perform executive transport with stylish elegance, offshore and emergency medical services or conduct surveillance and patrol missions for police forces. In addition, the AW109 Power serves a variety of missions for military forces. The Power is valued by operators and pilots alike for its outstanding performance, reliability and ease of maintenance combined with mission flexibility, high speed and productivity. It is single pilot IFR certified and can perform Category ?A? take-offs from elevated helipads without any payload reduction, while complying with the European regulations relating to Class 1 performance helicopters. The AW109 Power can be equipped with either Pratt & Whitney or Turbomeca engines controlled by a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system. Pilot workload is reduced by way of a digital glass cockpit with six liquid crystal instrument displays.
| Role | SAR/utility helicopter |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Agusta AgustaWestland |
| First flight | 4 August 1971 |
| Primary?users | Italian Army Royal Australian Navy |
| Unit cost | US$ 6.3 million |
| Variants | AgustaWestland AW119 |
General characteristics AW109 Power
- Crew: 1 or 2 pilots
- Capacity: 7/6 passengers
- Length: 13.04 m (42 ft 9 in)
- Rotor diameter: 11.00 m (36 ft 2 in)
- Height: 3.50 m (11 ft 6 in)
- Empty weight: 2,000 kgs (3,461 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 2,850 kg- 3,000kg (6,283 lb) (depending on version))
- Powerplant: 2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada 206C or Turbomeca Arrius 2K1 turboshafts, 567 hp or 571 hp (423 kW or 426 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 285 km/h (177 mph ,154 knots)
- Ferry range: 964 km (599 mi, 521 NM)
- Service ceiling: 5,974 m (19,600 ft)
- Rate of climb: 9.8 m/s (1,930 ft/min)
Armament
(Agusta A109 LUH only)
- Guns: possibilities include 12.7 mm machine gun (250 rounds) in pod, pintle mounted 7.62 mm machine gun, door gunner post 12.7 mm machine gun
- Missiles: possibilities include 2 x TOW missile launchers (2 or 4 missiles each), unguided rockets in pods (2.75 in or 81 mm rockets with 7 or 12 tubes per pod), rocket/machine gun pod (70 mm 3 rockets and 12.7 mm machine gun (200 rounds))
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