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viernes, 21 de diciembre de 2018

Leonardo: TH-119 helicopter performs first flight. Training excellence built in US, ready for US Navy

First  IFR single  engine helicopter  in decades with FAA  certification expected in  early 2019

The  TH-119,  based on  the successful  AW119, is Leonardo’s  offer to replace the U.S. Navy’s  TH-57 training helicopter fleet

Manufactured  in the US, with  a strong national suppliers’  base, the AW119 is in service with  a range of American public services and  private operators and with homeland security  and military operators worldwide

Philadelphia,  21 December 2018  – Leonardo  is pleased to  announce it successfully  completed the initial flight  test of the TH-119 IFR training  helicopter yesterday. The TH-119 is  Leonardo’s bid to replace the U.S. Navy’s  aging fleet of TH-57 Sea Ranger training helicopters,  a variant of the successful AW119, manufactured in the US  with strong local supplier base. By completing this important  milestone, the TH-119 remains on track to achieve full FAA IFR  certification in early 2019, making it the only single-engine IFR-certified helicopter  in production in decades.

The  TH-119  was flown  by Leonardo  pilot Patrick  McKernan at the  company’s Philadelphia  plant where all variants  of AW119s are built. The  helicopter performed excellently  during the flight which included an  assessment of general handling and avionics  systems. If selected by the U.S. Navy, a fleet  of over 125 TH-119s will be built in Philadelphia  utilizing the plant’s existing AW119 manufacturing and support  facility.

“Already  made in USA,  the TH-119 is an  affordable, off-the-shelf  teaching helicopter that combines proven  performance, flexibility and safety. It is  built to accomplish every current Navy undergraduate  training mission and flight skill maneuver with plenty  of room to grow over the venerable TH-57,” said Andrew Gappy,  Leonardo Director of U.S. Government Sales.

A  variant  of the successful  AW119 specifically configured  for military training, the TH-119  is the only modern single engine helicopter  certified to operate in actual instrument conditions  (IMC), resulting in more available training days that limit  “VFR only” aircraft and add to overall time to train. The TH-119  is a full-spectrum training helicopter, meaning that with a single variant configuration  the Navy can accomplish fundamental training flights like sliding landings, hovering, and full  autorotations (without offloading any of them to simulation) equally as well as advanced training  flights including NVG, instruments, navigation, tactics, hoist, external cargo, and search and rescue.  This makes the TH-119 the best solution on the market for “Navy” days: challenging weather and low visibility.

The  TH-119’s  dual-display  Genesys Aerosystems  advanced glass cockpit  allows instruction from either  pilot seat with full IFR capabilities  including flight director and 3-axis full  autopilot. Its unique 180-degree adjustable observer  seat offers student pilots full view of the cockpit  providing a better learning environment even while riding  as a passenger. The TH-119 combines exceptional power margins,  thanks to its popular and reliable 1,000 shp Pratt & Whitney Canada  PT6-B engine, with the durability of a cocoon-type metal airframe and reinforced  shock stabilized skids for touchdown maneuver training. To minimize time on the ground  and maximize operational flexibility the TH-119 can “hot” pressure refuel.

The  TH-119  is manufactured  and supported at  Leonardo’s existing  FAA Part 21 production  facility in Philadelphia, providing  the Navy a low-risk delivery schedule  and fleet support as well as economical  single engine costs saving millions of taxpayer  dollars over competing twin engine helicopters.