| AW119 Koala | |
|---|---|
| Role | Utility helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Agusta, later AgustaWestland |
| First flight | February 1995 |
| Introduction | 2000 |
| Produced | 2000- |
| Number built | 91 as of March 19, 2007[1] |
| Unit cost | $USD 1.85 million in 2000[2] |
| Developed from | Agusta A109 |
The AgustaWestland AW119 Koala is an eight-seat utility helicopter powered by a single turboshaft engine produced for the civil market. Introduced as the Agusta A119 Koala prior to the Agusta-Westland merger, it is targeted at operators favoring lower running costs of a single-engine aircraft over redundancy of a twin.[3]
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The A119 designation was first applied to a proposed 11-seat stretched version of the A109 in the 1970s,[4] but this was never actually built. The helicopter that was eventually to enter production was conceived in 1994, as Agusta was recovering from the financial woes that had nearly put the company out of business,[5] and the second of two prototypes took to the air in February the following year.[2] The first prototype was used for static tests.[1] Civil certification was originally anticipated in 1997, but that deadline was missed with Agusta citing personnel problems, and a need to increase the performance of the aircraft to meet customer expectations.[2]
By way of a solution to the latter concern, the decision was taken to change the A119's powerplant. The prototypes were originally fitted with Turboméca Arriel 2K1 turboshafts, but the ubiquitous Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6B was chosen in its place.[6] In 1998, the prototypes were remanufactured with this engine, and assigned new serial numbers.[1] Certification was now expected by the fourth quarter of that year, but this date slipped to July 1999, and it was eventually December before Italian RAI certification was awarded.[2] US FAA certification was awarded in February the following year.[2] Customer deliveries began soon thereafter,[2] with the first commercial example going to Australian logistics company Linfox (serial 14007, registration VH-FOX).[1]
The design itself was derived from Agusta's highly successful A109, but with only a single engine (as the A109 was originally designed)[5] and with fixed skids replacing the retractable wheeled landing gear. A key selling point is its wide-body fuselage, seating passengers three-abreast in the cabin, or allowing for two litters and medical attendants to be carried in the medevac role, whereas most similar-sized helicopters can only carry one.[3] The actual cabin volume is approximately 30% greater than other helicopters in its class.[6]
Major operators are:[1]
Data from AgustaWestland website[9]
General characteristics
Performance
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