Leonardo’s order book for its AW09 turbine single pushed past 50 on Tuesday with the announcement of new, deposit-backed reservations for the helicopter from customers including Brazil’s Aero Service Representação, Helitech Asia, Safomar in South Africa, Diskopsa in Panama and Guatemala, Heliflite in Oceania, and Aero Facility in Japan. The company declined to specify the number of aircraft ordered by each customer.
The order news comes less than two months after Leonardo announced an engine change for the helicopter to the Safran Arriel 2K. Emilio Dalmasso, Leonardo senior vice-president of new products business development., said the company expected the AW09’s order book to top 100 by year’s end and could hit 200 before anticipated certification in mid-2024. A company spokesman stressed that the 200 number was not a minimum threshold for serial production, merely a forecast based on demand trends.
Also on Tuesday, Leonardo announced an agreement with helicopter air ambulance operator and completion center Metro Aviation to collaborate on promotion of the AW09 to the EMS market and developing aircraft interiors, STCs, service and training for the helicopter. “Combining our industrial capabilities with Metro Aviation’s extensive and recognized experience in operations and support enhances the AW09 value proposition, providing superior mission capabilities to the operators of this platform in a prime single engine market like USA,” said Gian Piero Cutillo, Leonardo Helicopters managing director.