The Leonardo AW609 tiltrotor aircraft has successfully completed its first maritime trial campaign, conducted in collaboration with the Italian Navy.
Held between April 3 and 12, the initiative ultimately allowed the AW609 to traverse 20 nautical miles offshore and perform a landing on the aircraft carrier Cavour — the flagship of the Italian Navy.
Leonardo announced that it achieved deck landings and take-off maneuvers under 15 distinct conditions, with the AW609 executing direct and lateral approaches, vertical landings, vertical take-offs, and lateral departures.
The manufacturer employed AC4 — which fully embodies the model’s final production configuration — for the demonstration, which began with an initial testing stage using the AW609 development/engineering simulator at Leonardo’s Cascina Costa facility.
The team evaluated various tasks and maneuvers in the simulator that they would subsequently replicate in the actual aircraft — actions that Leonardo claimed assisted in minimizing time and enhancing safety, sustainability, and operational efficiency.
The aircraft was then transported from Cascina Costa to Maristaer Grottaglie Naval Base in southern Italy for the demonstration flights. These missions were conducted with test pilots and flight test engineers from Leonardo and received support from Italian Navy personnel for the onboard operations.
“The recent maritime trials in Italy . . . represent a pivotal progression towards the evolution of governmental applications as we bolster our position to lead tiltrotor-based initiatives globally and tackle upcoming demands,” asserted Lorenzo Mariani, co-general manager of Leonardo.
The manufacturer indicated that it has commenced a thorough evaluation and analysis of the data collected during the maritime trials, which may aid in subsequent trials to enhance methodologies and propel platform improvements for ship-based operations.
“The success of these trials establishes a major capability demonstration milestone to spotlight the unique advantages of tiltrotors, particularly the AW609, through a mix of exceptional performance and versatility, which is unparalleled in the vertical flight sector,” commented Gian Piero Cutillo, managing director of Leonardo Helicopters.
“This experience provides a significant opportunity to harness benefits that can fundamentally transform various missions or even open up new operational pathways.”
Leonardo highlighted that the AW609 program has achieved over 1,900 flight hours in various trials and demonstrations to date.
The trials signify the latest efforts concluded under a collaborative working group, established in 2022, that is exploring the potential application of tiltrotor technologies in governmental services. The group includes Leonardo, the Italian Navy, the Italian Army, and Guardia di Finanza.
