Leonardo Turbine Helicopters for Sale

Leonardo Turbine Helicopter Overview

By Gerrard Cowan

Leonardo is now home to the helicopters that were previously developed under the AgustaWestland brand names. Headquartered in Italy, Leonardo was previously known as Finmeccanica, before the name was changed in 2016.

There are a range of well-known VIP and corporate helicopter names under Leonardo’s stewardship. Among these are the modern variants of the A109, produced by Agusta since the mid-1970s.

Leonardo AW109 Models
A number of A109 variants have been produced under Leonardo’s ownership, many of them aimed, at least in part, at the VIP and corporate markets.

This includes the Leonardo A109S Grand, which was introduced in 2006 as a larger version of the popular A109 line. It provides club seating for up to six passengers, and an increased useful load. It has two 735shp Pratt & Whitney PW207C engines, with new rotor blades reducing its noise profile.

Today, the AW109 line is represented by the Leonardo AW109 GrandNew, powered by Pratt & Whitney PW207C engines. It has a maximum range of over 400nm, and most notably it has all-new digital avionics, featuring advanced satellite navigation and synthetic vision/enhanced vision system capabilities, as well as a composite airframe.

The company also offers another variant of the AW109, the Leonardo AW109 Trekker, which has fixed landing skids and is capable of operating in some of the world’s more challenging environments.

Leonardo AW119 Development
Certified in 1999, the A119 Koala, known as the AW119 since the merger of Agusta and Westland in 2000, is a single-engine development of the A109 family, providing an economical solution for operators.

The aircraft offers many of the A109E’s advantages – such as space, along with system redundancies – but is much less expensive, appealing to those who do not need the redundancy provided by two engines.

It is powered by a single PT6B engine from Pratt & Whitney and can hold up to seven passengers, with range extending to just over 500nm.

An upgraded version of the Koala, the AW119Ke (‘Koala Enhanced’) hit the market in 2007, offering a greater range and take-off weight, among other enhancements. This was followed by the AW119 Kx, which was launched in 2012 and brought a Garmin G1000H glass integrated flight deck; operators can also opt for a Genesys Aerosystems IFR avionics package.

Leonardo’s Medium to Large Turbine Helicopters
The Leonardo AW139 came to market in 2003, with the medium-sized helicopter proving a success thanks to its versatility. It is powered by two 1,679shp Pratt & Whitney PT6C-67C turboshafts and is extremely spacious, capable of providing seating for four or five with cabinetry.

The Leonardo AW189, meanwhile, offers the largest passenger cabin in its class, according to Leonardo, with the ability to seat up to 14 in excellent comfort. It can be powered by two General Electric CT7-2E1 engines along with one Safran e-APU, or a combination of the latter with two Safran Aneto-1K powerplants.

And finally, the Leonardo AW169 shares many of the features of the AW139 and AW189, but in a smaller package. It can hold passengers in a range of configurations, from a five- to a ten-seat design.

The helicopter is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210A engines and features a unique, high-spec Cabin Management System (CMS).

Leonardo also has a range of aircraft under development that will likely appeal to many in the VIP and corporate space. For example, the Kopter SH09 is a single-engine helicopter powered by a Honeywell HTS900 that has a range of 430nm and can hold up to eight passengers.

Meanwhile, the AW609 tiltrotor aircraft is also pitched at the executive market, blending the speed and range of a fixed-wing turboprop with the take-off and landing flexibility that comes with a helicopter. It is envisioned to hold up to seven passengers in a VIP configuration, or up to nine passengers. And for the VVIP market, Leonardo offers its AW101, providing seating for up to 30.

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