AgustaWestland AW119
| AW119 Koala | |
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| Role | Utility helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Leonardo-Finmeccanica, before AgustaWestland, Agusta |
| First flight | February 1995 |
| Introduction | 2000 |
| Status | Active in production |
| Primary users |
Mexico State Government Finnish Border Guard |
| Produced | 2000–present |
| Number built | 200+ (2015) |
| Unit cost |
USD$1.85 million in 2000
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| Developed from | Agusta A109 |
 AgustaWestland AW119Kx promotional video
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Description of AW119Kx cockpit
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Pellissier Helicopter AW119Kx operations
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The AgustaWestland AW119 Koala, produced by Leonardo-Finmeccanica since 2016, is an eight-seat utility helicopter powered by a single turboshaft engine produced for the civil market. Introduced as the Agusta A119 Koala prior to the Agusta-Westland merger, it is targeted at operators favoring lower running costs of a single-engine aircraft over redundancy of a twin.
The A119 designation was first applied to a proposed 11-seat stretched version of the A109 in the 1970s; however this concept did not emerge and no such rotorcraft actually built. The helicopter that was eventually to enter production as the A119 was conceived in 1994, as Agusta was recovering from a period of financial woes that had nearly put the company out of business. In February 1995, the second of two prototypes conducted its first flight. The first prototype was used for static tests. Civil certification was originally anticipated in 1997, this deadline was missed allegedly due to multiple issues such as personnel problems, the need to concentrate resources on the development of the A109 Power, and further development to increase the aircraft's performance to meet customer expectations.
By way of a solution to the latter concern, the decision was taken to change the A119's powerplant. The prototypes were originally fitted with Turboméca Arriel 2K1 turboshafts, but the ubiquitous Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6B was chosen in its place. In 1998, the prototypes were remanufactured with this engine, and assigned new serial numbers. Certification was now expected by the fourth quarter of that year, but this date slipped to July 1999, and it was eventually December before Italian RAI certification was awarded. US FAA certification was awarded in February the following year. Customer deliveries began soon thereafter, the first commercial example was delivered to Australian logistics company Linfox (serial 14007, registration VH-FOX).
In April 2007, the AW119Ke (Ke standing for Koala Enhanced) was formally unveiled at Heli-Expo; changes included modified rotor blade design and a higher rotor rpm, increasing both payload and hot-and-high performance, cabin flexibility was also improved. The fuselages of the AW119 are manufactured by PZL Swidnik of Poland, later a subsidiary of AgustaWestland. Final assembly and other manufacturing activity initially took place at Vergiate, Italy; by the time the improved AW119Ke variant began production, the final assembly line had been transferred from Vergiate to AgustaWestland's facility in Philadelphia, United States.
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Wikipedia