Wednesday
June 20, 2007 :
AW119 Ke Awarded European Certification
UK / Italy : ( AgustaWestland Press Release ) -
AgustaWestland is pleased to announce that the AW119 Ke (Koala enhanced) has been awarded EASA certification during a ceremony held today at the Paris Air Show. The certification process was performed by ENAC (Italian Airworthiness Authority) under EASA task allocation.
Since the AW119 Ke was launched at the end of February, this evolution of the well known A119 Koala single turbine helicopter has found immediate success in the marketplace. Orders have been placed by several customers worldwide for roles such as offshore transport, VIP/corporate transport, fire fighting and EMS. The seven-seat A119 Koala single engine helicopter is already providing operators with unmatched payload, range and performance capabilities in its class and the new AW119 Ke further improves these characteristics offering customers even greater operational capability, especially in demanding hot and high conditions at high gross weights.
Existing operators of the A119 Koala will also be able to retrofit the upgrades developed for the AW119 Ke to take advantage of its improved capabilities. FAA certification for the AW119 Ke is expected to be awarded in Autumn 2007.
Bruno Spagnolini, Managing Director – Operations, AgustaWestland said “We are delighted the market has responded so positively to the introduction of the AW119 Ke with significant orders being placed since its unveiling just few months ago. Every application where the A119 Koala has already proven a successful solution will benefit from the AW119 Ke’s improved performance”.
The AW119 Ke features an increased Maximum Take-Off Weight up to 2,850 kg (6,283 lb), a single powerful Pratt & Whitney 747 kW (1,002 shp) turbine engine and new main rotor blades delivering unmatched performance and productivity in its weight category.
Over 130 A119 Koala and AW119 Ke aircraft have been ordered by commercial customers around the world by mid-2007. Production of the AW119 Ke is carried out at AgustaWestland’s Philadelphia facility in the USA.
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