Leonardo took the wraps off of a full-scale cabin mockup of its AW09 single-engine helicopter at the opening of EBACE 2024. Showcasing a VIP-corporate transport cabin layout and paint scheme that will be offered as an option, the unveiling marks the “official entrance” of the AW09 as part of the Agusta family of corporate helicopters, said Cecile Vion-Lanctuit, head of communications and marketing for Leonardo’s Kopter Group.
The interior was designed to provide a customized yet modular approach to the cabin space with the latest technology and sustainability advancements. Carving a niche in the long-light single-engine segment, the AW09 will have the largest cabin and most legroom in its class.
According to Leonardo, the cabin can accommodate interiors ranging from a four-plus-one up to a three-plus-three-plus-two seating layout. The interior will be offered in a set of dedicated themes that the company is inspired by “harmony and perfection found in nature” yet present a modern feel. Themes include Desert Dawn, Cedar Woods, Ocean Twilight, and Dark Cosmos.
Also to appeal to the corporate crowd, the company is touting the large front and side windows that enhance visibility for the passengers, alongside the safety benefits for the pilot.
Kopter chief test pilot Richard Grant, along with Leonardo chief test pilot Giuseppe Afruni, unshrouded the mockup before a crowd gathered at the booth on the show floor, marking the kickoff of a demonstration tour that will include showings across Europe this summer, as well as at various events.
As Leonardo looks to expand its foothold in the corporate market with the helicopter—the first all-new model to be developed in decades in its class—it has built a backlog of orders for more than 100 units globally.
As the mockup embarks on its tour, flight testing continues on the AW09 with hopes of certification in 2025. Leonardo has two preproduction models—PS4 and PS5—flying and checking off a series of flight tests. PS6, the first production model, is expected at the end of the year. An earlier prototype, PS3, retired in September 2022 after 387 flights.
PS4, which incorporates all developments implemented on PS3, joined the program in March 2023 with the 1,000-shp-class Safran Helicopter Engines Arriel 2K, a switch from the Honeywell HTS900 on the predecessor prototypes.
PS5 joined the program this past February. Grant estimated that the two flight-test aircraft have now accrued about 130 flights, exploring a limited altitude envelope, up to about 16,000 feet with plans to go higher, and tested maximum speed in dive, he said.
In addition, Leonardo has completed a lot of airfield work simulating wind conditions. “At the moment, we're able to hover in winds up to about 35 knots or around that with quite a low workload.”
Component systems tests have long been under way. “Now we've got to that stage where we've just got to gather the data,” he said.
In addition to the cabin, Grant touted the aircraft’s ease of flying and safety systems. “It's designed to be easy and simple in every aspect, flying it, operating it, maintaining it,” he said. “I think it's really achieving that. We're starting to see that now.”
He added that other test pilots from Leonardo have flown it and “they're all reporting very similar things.”