Third AW609 Tiltrotor To Fly by Mid-2016

The third flight-test AW609 is expected to fly by the middle of next year as work continues on AgustaWestland's civil tiltrotor program following the fatal crash of Ship 02 on October 30. “With regards to the AW609 tiltrotor anticipated certification date, Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland is fully committed to mitigating any delay that our recent tragic accident, and the subsequent investigation, might have on the program itself,” the company told AIN.

Ship 03 is nearing completion in Italy and will be relocated to Philadelphia for flight testing in the first half of next year. Ship 04, currently in Philadelphia, “will most closely resemble a production aircraft, with the company nearing completion of final configuration aspects and supplier contracts,” AgustaWestland said.

Collaboration continues between AgustaWestland and key AW609 customers, including the Bristow Group, for the development of an offshore transportation variant, as well as with the Joint Aviation Command of the United Arab Emirates on a search-and-rescue configuration. The UAE’s Joint Aviation Command last month committed to a firm order for three AW609s, with options for three more.