The Leonardo AW609 tiltrotor aircraft has successfully conducted its inaugural maritime trial campaign, carried out with the assistance of the Italian Navy.
Executed between April 3 and 12, the campaign ultimately enabled the AW609 to navigate 20 nautical miles offshore and execute a landing on the aircraft carrier Cavour — the flagship of the Italian Navy.
Leonardo stated that it accomplished deck landings and takeoff operations under 15 varying conditions, with the AW609 undertaking direct and lateral approaches, vertical landings, vertical take-offs, and lateral departures.
The manufacturer utilized AC4 — which fully reflects the type’s final production configuration — for the demonstration, which commenced with an initial testing phase employing the AW609 development/engineering simulator at Leonardo’s Cascina Costa facility.
The team assessed various tasks and maneuvers in the simulator that they would subsequently execute in the actual aircraft — efforts that Leonardo claimed helped reduce time and improved safety, sustainability, and operational capability.
The aircraft was afterward transported from Cascina Costa to Maristaer Grottaglie Naval Base in southern Italy for the demonstration flights. These were flown with test pilots and flight test engineers from Leonardo and were supported by Italian Navy personnel for the onboard operations.
“The recent maritime trials in Italy . . . signify a crucial advancement towards the evolution of governmental applications as we strengthen our position to spearhead tiltrotor-based initiatives globally and address future emerging needs,” stated Lorenzo Mariani, co-general manager of Leonardo.
The manufacturer reported that it has initiated a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the data gathered during the maritime trials, which may facilitate subsequent trials to fine-tune methods and drive platform improvements for ship-based operations.
“The success of these trials establishes a significant capability demonstration milestone to highlight the distinct benefits of tiltrotors, especially the AW609, through a blend of high performance and versatility, which is unmatched in the vertical flight domain,” remarked Gian Piero Cutillo, managing director of Leonardo Helicopters.
“This experience offers a vital opportunity to recognize advantages that can essentially revolutionize a variety of missions or even unlock new operational avenues.”
Leonardo noted that the AW609 program has achieved over 1,900 flight hours in diverse trials and demonstrations to date.
The trials represent the latest endeavors concluded under a collaborative working group, established in 2022, that is investigating the prospective use of tiltrotor technologies in governmental services. The group comprises Leonardo, the Italian Navy, the Italian Army, and Guardia di Finanza.
