The Kopter AW09 (formerly the Marenco Swisshelicopter SKYe SH09 and Kopter SH09) is the Leonardo Helicopter Division's five-to-eight seat, single-engine multirole helicopter which is currently under development at Kopter’s facilities. It is a clean-sheet design amongst a market sector dominated by decades-old airframe designs. The first prototype P1 first flew on 2 October 2014. P2 in February 2016, P3 during November 2018. There have been ongoing delays in first flight of prototypes and TC/commercial deliveries deadlines. The first prototype P1 first flew on 2 October 2014. P2 in February 2016, P3 during November 2018. There have been ongoing delays in first flight of prototypes and TC/commercial deliveries deadlines. On 8 April 2020, Italian manufacturer Leonardo announced the closing of the acquisition of Kopter Group AG (Kopter) from Lynwood (Schweiz). The purchase price consists of $185 million, plus earn out. At the time Kopter employed 320 people. On 21 April 2021 Leonardo rebranded the SH09 single-engine helicopter as the AW09. The SH09 is a light-medium helicopter, initially intended to be powered by a single Honeywell HTS900 turboshaft engine. It uses a shrouded fenestron tail rotor and the main rotor features a five-bladed bearingless hub; the shrouded tail rotor has a wider diameter and a thinner chord in order to increase airflow, while design aspects such as a narrow tail boom, swept-back tips on the main rotor blades, and the shrouded tail rotor offer reduced noise. The HTS900 is rated at 1,020-shaft-horsepower, and was intended to provide improved performance in hot and high conditions. The monocoque fuselage is made from composite materials and is equipped with sliding side doors on either side along with a rear clamshell door; it incorporates a series of floor-mounted windows between the pilots' seats for additional vertical visibility. Some of the composite materials used have been produced using out of autoclave composite manufacturing from suppliers such as TenCate and Gurit. According to Marenco, inspiration for the fuselage's design was drawn from the automotive industry. It has been stated that the firm has sought to introduce the cabin volume of medium-sized twin-engine helicopters to the single-engine market. The SH09 is offered with various different layout configurations. The standard option provides two pilot seats forward and four passenger seats aft, all adjustable fore/aft and up/down. In a high density configuration, five seats are installed in the rear position along with two more passenger seats inline with the pilot's own, which loses the option of the floor window. The use of Kevlar-threaded crashworthy fuel tanks, which are built into the wall and floor of the cargo hold, freed up space to allow for fully adjustable passenger seats in the cabin. The cargo hold is sized to accommodate 10 items of baggage, while the fuel tanks are sized to provide for an endurance of nearly five hours. The rear clamshell door and high-mounted tail boom were designed for air ambulance applications. For more details of development, design and operational history, click here.
