AgustaWestland announcements add to Paris helicopter orderbook as Eurocopter and Sikorsky notch sales
AgustaWestland has received European certification for the A109S Grand light twin-turbine helicopter and delivered the first example to a UK customer. Including two sales to South African VIP customers announced at the Paris air show, the company has more than 50 orders for the larger-cabin A109 variant.
The 3,175kg (7,000lb) gross-weight, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207C-powered Grand received European Aviation Safety Agency certification for single-pilot instrument flight-rules operation.
AgustaWestland has also received EASA and US Federal Aviation Administration certification for an increased internal-load gross weight of 3,000kg for the PW206C-powered A109E Power, providing almost 150kg more payload. New Powers feature a composite tailrotor for reduced noise and maintenance and increased life. Both the weight increase and new tailrotor are retrofittable.
Orders announced at Paris included three more A109 Powers for the Japanese National Police and two A119 Koala single-turbine helicopters in multirole configuration for J V Gokal of India. Meanwhile, the first A119 manufactured in the USA has flown at the new Agusta Aerospace plant in Philadelphia.
AgustaWestland also announced delivery of an A109 Power to the government of the Indian state of Rajasthan for VIP transport, and another to Polish emergency medical service provider LPR to replace the first of 19 Mi-2 helicopters that have to be phased out by 2009. Poland’s PZL-Swidnik makes airframes for the A109 and A119.
Bristow Helicopters, meanwhile, took delivery at Paris of the first of two Eurocopter EC225s for North Sea offshore operations, ordered two more for delivery next year and indicated an intent to order four EC155B1s. Era Helicopters ordered four PW206B2-powered EC135 light twins, with options for four more, for offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
Norway’s Norsk helicopter has ordered three more Sikorsky S-92 helicopters for delivery next year. Norsk operates two S-92s. CHC Helikopter Service’s first of three S-92s has entered North Sea service for Norsk Hydro, while Cougar Helicopters’ first S-92 has entered offshore service for PetroCanada.
GRAHAM WARWICK/PARIS
Source: Flight International
