Leonardo AW09 Agusta

Light Utility Helicopter (LUH)

Italy | 2025

"Leonardo is developing its new AW09 to head-off any openings in the potentially lucrative Light Utility Helicopter market."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/29/2024 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image from official Leonardo marketing materials.

Leonardo of Italy is currently (2024) developing its AW09 for the light-class single-engine light utility helicopter market, an aviation market typically dominated by the likes of Bell of America or Airbus Helicopter of France. Italian-based Leonardo is no stranger to rotorcraft as its designs span the world and cover military, security, industry, and civilian market roles with equal success.

The AW09 is an all-new, clean-sheet approach with the airframe being designed with a multi-mission mindset from the start to satisfy such critical roles as Law Enforcement (LE) support, the Oil and Gas Industry (OGI), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), border patrol and the like. Internally, the base arrangement will allow for the transporting of up to eight passengers (+1 pilot) though the cabin is made as configurable as possible to better suit global customer requirements once the AW09 hits the market.

The helicopter takes on a conventional design shape, seating its crew aft of the short glazed nosecone with the pilot seated front-right (cyclic and collective are found only at this position). Aft of the twin front seats is the cabin and, over this enclosure, sits the engine installation. Entry-exit of the helicopter is through hinged automobile-style doors at front, sliding side door panels at the passenger cabin, and a "clamshell" style hinged opening at the rear of the fuselage (to facilitate movement of cargo / medical litters). The engine exhausts through a small circular port aft of the engine housing (and over the tail stem) while the five-bladed composite main rotor sits close to the airframe roof. The undercarriage is of a simple four-point skid assembly arrangement, reducing overall cost, complexity, and workload. The single engine configuration is also used to drive the anti-torque tail rotor unit which sits in a noise-reducing Fenestron housing at the rear of the design.

Power is provided by the French Safran Arriel 2K turbine engine showcasing enhanced fuel-savings as well as twin-channel FADEC (Full-Authority Digital Engine Control) with backup. This engine is rated at 1,006 shaft horsepower.

The cockpit sports a pair of full-color digital Multi-Function Displays (MFDs) showcasing all pertinent system, performance, and travel information. The cockpit includes a center overhead while a lower outcropping houses smaller MFDs. The avionics fit is the Garmin G3000H series. Seats are rated as "crashworthy" in the event of a hard landing / emergency landing.

The complete internal arrangement of the passenger cabin can be stripped away (including the front-left cockpit seat) leaving just the pilot's station, control sticks, and instrument panel. In this way, the helicopter can be configured to serve a variety of cargo types including patient litters, luggage, general cargo loads, special mission equipment, or other applicable light-class load outs as needed.

At press time, the helicopter is showcased with a cruising speed of 140 knots (260kmh) and a range of 430 nautical miles (800km). Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) is 6,284lb. A sling load capability is also in-built and this is rated up to 3,300lb.

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May 2024 - A full-scale mockup of the AW09 LUH was unveiled EBACE 2024.

Cockpit
While traditional jobs involve workstations, office desks, or cubicles, aircraft provide operators with their own unique, ever-changing view of the world below.

[ Click to Enlarge ]

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the AW09 Light Utility Helicopter (LUH).

1 x Safran Arriel 2K dual-FADEC turbine engine of 1,006 shaft horsepower driving five-bladed main rotor and Fenestron-shrouded trail rotor unit.
Propulsion

168 mph
270 kph | 146 kts
Max Speed

162 mph
260 kph | 140 kts
Cruise Speed

7,546 ft
2,300 m | 1 miles
Service Ceiling

497 miles
800 km | 432 nm
Operational Range

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the AW09 Light Utility Helicopter (LUH).

1
(MANNED)
Crew

43.1 ft
13.13 m
O/A Length

36.0 ft
(10.96 m)
O/A Width

12.3 ft
(3.74 m)
O/A Height

6,283 lb
(2,850 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Leonardo AW09 Agusta family line.

AW09 - Base Series Designation.

Agusta - Base Series Name.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Leonardo AW09 Agusta. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1 Units
Contractor(s): Leonardo-Finmeccanica - Italy

[ Italy (possible); United Kingdom (possible) ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 200mph

Lo: 100mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (168mph).

Graph Average of 150 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

1

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

1 / 1

Image from official Leonardo marketing materials.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT

MEDEVAC

SEARCH & RESCUE

TRANSPORT

COMMERCIAL AVIATION

VIP SERVICE

RECONNAISSANCE

SPECIAL FORCES

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for Special Forces

Going Further...
The Leonardo AW09 Agusta Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) appears in the following collections:

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