| AW149 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| The AW 149 in April 2012 | |
| Role | Medium-lift military helicopter |
| Manufacturer | AgustaWestland |
| First flight | 13. November 2009 |
| Developed from | AgustaWestland AW139 |
| Variants | AgustaWestland AW189 |
The AgustaWestland AW149 is a medium-lift military helicopter being developed by AgustaWestland. On 20 June 2011 AgustaWestland announced the AW189, a civilian development of the AW149, for service in 2013.[1]
Design and development[]
The AW149 was unveiled at the 2006 Farnborough Air Show. Derived from the AW139, the AW149 has a larger fuselage and more powerful engines, resulting in a greater cargo volume and payload carrying ability.[2]
The first prototype made its first flight 13 November 2009 from AgustaWestland's Vergiate manufacturing facility in northern Italy.[3] The second prototype, the first with production model engines, made its first flight from Vergiate on 26 February 2011.[4]
A version named TUHP149, and the Turkish T-70 version of the S-70i Black Hawk, were candidates for the Turkish Utility Helicopter Programme (TUHP). The programme covered an initial batch of 109 helicopters worth $4 billion, with a prospect for further orders in subsequent batches that may eventually top 300.[5] On 21 April 2011 the Turkish defence minister announced that the Sikorsky T-70 Black Hawk had been declared the winner.[6]
AgustaWestland hopes to have military certification of the in-development AW149 helicopter in a baseline configuration by the end of 2013. Italy's Armaereo military certification body will be presented with a baseline model with no mission equipment, countermeasures, or ballistic protection, which will be customer-specific items and require a second country-specific certification process. The landing gear can sustain a touchdown with a sink speed of 9.5 m/s, compared with the 2 m/s for a civilian helicopter. The AW149 is being marketed as an alternative to the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk family, but has yet to find a customer. The Italian Air Force considered it as a search and rescue helicopter, but chose the lighter AW139M. The AW149 is being offered for Poland's tri-service requirement for 70 helicopters against the Black Hawk and Eurocopter EC725. AgustaWestland believes it can fill the missions of anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, and troop transport, and can be manufactured in-country through its Polish subsidiary PZL-Swidnik.[7]
Specifications (AW149)[]
Data from [8]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 18 max or; 12 combat laden troops or; 2,720kg external sling load
- Length: 17.57 m (57 ft 8 in)
- Main rotor diameter: 14.6 m (47 ft 11 in)
- Width: 3.06 m (10 ft 0 in)
- Height: 5.14 m (16 ft 10 in)
- Gross weight: 8,600 kg (18,959 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × General Electric CT7-2E1 turboshaft engine, 1,477 kW (1,980 hp) each
Performance
- Cruising speed: 278 km/h (173 mph)
Gallery[]
See also[]
- AgustaWestland AW139
- AgustaWestland AW189
- Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk
- NHIndustries NH90
- List of helicopters
References[]
- ↑ "AgustaWestland Unveils The AW189 Helicopter". AgustaWestland. 20 June 2011. http://www.agustawestland.com/news/agustawestland-unveils-aw189-helicopter. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ "AgustaWestland AW149 Product Brochure". AgustaWestland. http://www.agustawestland.com/sites/default/files/brochures_new_product/AW149%20Brochure%20Final.pdf. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ "AW149 & AW159 complete first flights". Australian Aviation. 16 November 2009. http://australianaviation.com.au/2009/11/aw149-aw159-complete-first-flights/. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ "AW149 Makes Its Public Premiere At The 2011 Paris Air Show". AgustaWestland. 20 June 2011. http://www.agustawestland.com/news/aw149-makes-its-public-premiere-2011-paris-air-show. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ ENGİNSOY, ÜMİT (21 March 2011). "Turkish defense panel may select new copter type Tuesday". Hürriyet Daily News. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=defense-panel-may-select-new-copter-type-tuesday-2011-03-21. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ Ozbek, Tolga (21 April 2011). "Sikorsky wins Turkish utility helicopter battle". Flight Global. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/04/21/355885/sikorsky-wins-turkish-utility-helicopter-battle.html. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ AgustaWestland nears certification for military AW149 - Flightglobal.com, 9 October 2013
- ↑ "AW149". Italy. http://www.agustawestland.com/product/aw149-0. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to AgustaWestland AW149. |
- AgustaWestland AW149 page
- "New AW149 Helicopter Details Revealed at Farnborough"
- Turkish Utility Helicopter Programme TUHP 149 - More Details Released
- PICTURE: AgustaWestland reveals AW149 for Turkey
- Turkey to decide in June between AW149, 'T-70' Black Hawk
- AgustaWestland Unveils AW149 for Turkey
- AW149 Specs on flugzeuginfo.net
The original article can be found at AgustaWestland AW149 and the edit history here.