| AW609 | |
|---|---|
| AW609 in airplane mode at Paris Air Show 2007 | |
| Role | VTOL corporate transport |
| National origin | United States / Italy |
| Manufacturer | Bell/Agusta Aerospace AgustaWestland |
| First flight | March 6, 2003 |
| Status | Under development/flight testing |
| Developed from | Bell XV-15 |
The AgustaWestland AW609, formerly the Bell/Agusta BA609, is a civil twin-engined tiltrotor VTOL aircraft with a configuration similar to the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey.
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The aircraft was developed from the experimental similar tiltrotor Bell XV-15,[1] by Bell/Boeing in 1996, but Boeing pulled out in March 1998, and Agusta came in during September 1998.[1] As of 2011, it is still being developed by Bell/Agusta Aerospace Company (BAAC), a joint venture between Bell Helicopter and AgustaWestland.[2] Although the BA609 shares many features with the V-22 twice its size, they share practically no parts. The AW609 has a pressurized cabin, unlike the V-22.[3]
The first ground tests of the BA609 prototype began December 6, 2002 and the first flight took place on March 6, 2003 in Arlington, Texas, with Roy Hopkins and Dwayne Williams as test pilots. After 14 hours of helicopter-mode flight testing, the prototype was moved to a ground testing rig for ground-based testing of conversion modes.[4] On June 3, 2005, having completed the ground-based testing, the prototype resumed flight testing and expansion of its flight envelope.[5] This led to the first conversion to airplane mode while in flight on July 22, 2005.[6] As of October 2008[update], the two flying aircraft have logged 365 flight-hours.[7]
Certification of the aircraft was projected for 2011.[8] BAAC has received orders for nearly 80 aircraft.[9]
On 21 September 2009, AgustaWestland chief executive Giuseppe Orsi said that corporate parent Finmeccanica had authorised buying Bell Helicopter out of the program in order to speed it up.[10] In 2011 negotiations centered on the full transfer of technologies shared with the V-22.[11][12]
At the Paris Air Show in June 2011, AgustaWestland said it will assume full ownership of the delayed programme and renamed the aircraft "AW609". Bell Helicopter will remain in the role of component design and certification.[13]
The ownership transaction was completed in November 2011 after all legal and regulatory approvals were in hand. At that time, AgustaWestland said it will build two more prototypes to complete the flight tests and achieve civil certification "in late 2015, early 2016".
The cost of the vehicle has not been announced. Deposits are taken to reserve the right to purchase an aircraft, and the final price is to be announced at least 25 months before first delivery. In 2001, Terry Stinson, then chairman and CEO of Bell Helicopters, declared that costs will amount to "at least US$10 million".[14]
In 2004, Don Barbour, then executive marketing director, declared:
Early orders were taken at a price of between $8 and $10 million dollars, adjusted to year of delivery. Those were all sold and, since 1999, orders have been at a price to be confirmed no later than 24 months before aircraft delivery[15]
Bell/Agusta aims the aircraft "at the government and military markets".[16] In 2007, Bell/Agusta sought to let the BA609 compete with corporate business jets and helicopters. It can fly where jets cannot, such as heliports or smaller airports, yet it has twice the range of a helicopter, and can fly almost twice as fast.[3] Specifically, the company has stated that the BA609 would be of interest to any operator that has a mixed fleet of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft.[17]
Lt. Gen. Michael Hough, USMC deputy commandant for aviation, asked Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. to study arming the AW609 so that it could be used to escort V-22s.[18]
Data from The International Directory of Civil Aircraft, 2003-2004[2], Jane's 2000, and the AgustaWestland BA609 profile [19]
General characteristics
Performance
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