AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the second prototype of the AW169, a new generation 4.5 tonne light intermediate helicopter, successfully completed its maiden flight today at Cascina Costa in Italy. Meanwhile the first AW169 prototype arrived at Farnborough in the UK yesterday in preparation for its public premiere at the Farnborough International Airshow which is being held from 9th to 15th July. The first two prototypes will be joined by another later this year and a fourth prototype in 2013. The AW169 programme is on schedule to achieve civil certification in 2014.

The AW169 is part of AgustaWestland’s family of new generation helicopters that includes the AW139 and AW189 models. These helicopters all possess the same high performance flight characteristics and safety features and share the same common cockpit layout, design philosophy and maintenance concepts. This approach will deliver real cost savings in areas such as training, maintenance and support for existing operators of the AW139 who add AW169 and/or AW189 helicopters to their fleets. Launched at the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2010, the AW169 has rapidly found market success, logging orders for more than 50 units so far from customers worldwide. A versatile, new generation twin engine helicopter, the AW169 has been designed in response to the growing market demand for an aircraft that delivers high performance, meets all the latest safety standards and has multi-role capabilities. It is the first all new helicopter design in its class in decades and the only one that will meet all the latest safety requirements.