AgustaWestland AW189
| AW189 | |
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| AgustaWestland AW189 at 2016 Farnborough Airshow | |
| Role | Medium-lift helicopter |
| National origin | Italy |
| Manufacturer |
Leonardo Finmeccanica AgustaWestland |
| First flight | 21 December 2011 |
| Introduction | February 2014 |
| Status | Operational |
| Primary users |
Bristow Helicopters Gulf Helicopters |
| Produced | 2011-present |
| Number built | 20+ |
| Developed from | AgustaWestland AW149 |
 Official Video of AW189 Certification Milestones
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A Prototype AW189 performing a Flight Demonstration at Vergiate Open Day
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The AgustaWestland AW189 is a twin-engined, medium-lift helicopter manufactured by Leonardo (formerly AgustaWestland, merged into Leonardo-Finmeccanica since 2016). It is derived from the AW149, and shares similarities with the AW139 and AW169. The AW189 has been referred to as being a 'super-medium' helicopter, and has been often contrasted with the competing Airbus Helicopters H175.
On 20 June 2011, development of the 8-tonne twin-engine AW189 was formally announced by AgustaWestland at the Paris International Air Show; at the time, the company planned to have the new rotorcraft certified by 2013 and in service in 2014. The AW189 is a civil-orientated version of the military AW149, which in turn is an enlarged development of the popular AW139; in 2011, AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini stated that: "The AW139 and the AW189 are two very different aircraft but they both share the same general concept in architecture". AgustaWestland stated its aims to sell the AW189 for offshore helicopter support, search and rescue (SAR), and passenger transport roles.
On 21 December 2011, the first AW189 conducted its maiden flight from AgustaWestland's facility in Cascina Costa, Italy. During the flight test program, a total of six AW189s were used, these being four prototypes and a pair of pre-production aircraft. The pre-production aircraft were used to develop mission kits and configurations for offshore and SAR roles, enabling these to be immediately certified and available for customer selection. In August 2013, the fifth prototype was dispatched to the UK, so that AgustaWestland's UK branch could begin work on certifying the type for SAR operations. In June 2013, AgustaWestland announced that the AW189 had entered full-scale production.
In October 2013, the first production model performed its first flight; at the same time, work was proceeding on setting up a second production line for the type at AgustaWestland's center in Yeovil, United Kingdom. In February 2014, the AW189 received type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA); the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued its certification for the type in March 2015. In August 2015, civil certification for the AW189 was issued by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC).
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