Story ID: 
EASA Starts Flight Tests on AW09 Helicopter
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: The Leonardo subsidiary is aiming to certify the single-engined rotorcraft in 2025
Word Count: 458
EASA test pilots have started certification flights with the AW09 helicopter being developed by Leonardo’s Swiss subsidiary Kopter. The company is aiming to complete type certification under CS-27 rules in 2025.
Kopter is using a pair of preproduction models, PS4 and PS5, for flight testing and expects to start flying the first production version, PS6, at the end of this year. In September 2022, it retired the earlier PS3 prototype after logging 387 flights on that version of the single-engine helicopter, which is powered by Safran’s 1,000-shp Arriel 2K turboshaft.
In late May, Kopter’s chief test pilot, Richard Grant, reported that the two test aircraft had already logged around 130 flights, exploring a limited altitude envelope up to around 16,000 feet. He said the team was preparing to go higher and test performance such as maximum speed in dive.
“We look forward to this close collaboration with EASA for the future flight assessments, which will take place at key points throughout the program to validate our testing results and ensure that the AW09 meets all necessary certification requirements,” said Leonardo today in a social media post.
Kopter now holds more than 100 orders for the AW109 after announcing a new distributorship agreement with India’s Universal Vulkaan Aviation in May. It has also established sales partnerships with Léman Aviation and Sloane.
EASA test pilots have started certification flights with the AW09 helicopter being developed by Leonardo’s Swiss subsidiary Kopter. The company is aiming to complete type certification under CS-27 rules in 2025.
Kopter is using a pair of preproduction models, PS4 and PS5, for flight testing and expects to start flying the first production version, PS6, at the end of this year. In September 2022, it retired the earlier PS3 prototype after logging 387 flights on that version of the single-engine helicopter, which is powered by Safran’s 1,000-shp Arriel 2K turboshaft.
In late May, Kopter’s chief test pilot, Richard Grant, reported that the two test aircraft had already logged around 130 flights, exploring a limited altitude envelope up to around 16,000 feet. He said the team was preparing to go higher and test performance such as maximum speed in dive.
“We look forward to this close collaboration with EASA for the future flight assessments, which will take place at key points throughout the program to validate our testing results and ensure that the AW09 meets all necessary certification requirements,” said Leonardo today in a social media post.
Kopter now holds more than 100 orders for the AW109 after announcing a new distributorship agreement with India’s Universal Vulkaan Aviation in May. It has also established sales partnerships with Léman Aviation and Sloane.