Leonardo's AW609 Tiltrotor to Seek U.S. Civil Certification under New 'Powered Lift Category'

Leonardo's AW609 multirole tiltrotor production aircraft completed its maiden flight on October 13 signaling the introduction of tiltrotor aircraft to civilian use.
This is the second tiltrotor aircraft project in the world after the Bell-Boeing V22 Osprey used by the U.S. Marines.
Currently, three customers’ production aircraft are on the dedicated final assembly line at various stages of construction in Philadelphia.
The aircraft will now seek civil certification under a dedicated ‘powered lift category.’ Designated AC5, the aircraft took to the air at Leonardo’s Philadelphia-based site performing the initial in-flight evaluation of systems and general handling.
The first production aircraft joins a prototype based in the US and two more located in Italy, all currently involved in the last stages of testing activities ahead of (Federal Aviation Administration) FAA certification.
AC5 will be retained by Leonardo contributing to customer demonstrations, mission capability evaluation and expansion, and supporting the manufacturer and the operators in the transition from the developmental to the operational phase once on the market.
Gian Piero Cutillo, MD Leonardo Helicopters, said: “This testifies the level of maturity this groundbreaking programme has reached and our credentials to pioneer in the emerging fast rotorcraft domain.”
Earlier this year the AW609 launch customer in the United States, Bristow Group, participated in a demonstration flight in Philadelphia marking an important milestone as Leonardo and Bristow collaborate to introduce the AW609 aircraft into service.