Bell/Agusta Unveils BA609 SAR Variant

>AgustaWestland says that the BA609 tiltrotor's unique design will allow it to reduce search and rescue mission times by 44% compared to a helicopter. (AgustaWestland photo)As the most advanced rotorcraft technology innovation that will revolutionize vertical flight in the forthcoming future, the BA609 Tiltrotor features an unparalleled combination of high performance and maximum flexibility which makes it a perfect platform for a variety of Government support roles such as SAR (Search and Rescue) operations, Homeland Security missions, Special Forces insertion/extraction , border and maritime patrol, vertical fleet support/patrolling, head of state transport, Emergency response, evacuation, interdiction , disaster relief, airborne command and control, and training, etc.>> Users can leverage on the BA609 unique capability to dispatch quickly, hover mid-mission, and rescue people at more than 300 miles (500 km) from the coast providing extended border management and coverage with existing bases. At a cruise speed up to 275 knots (510 km/h) with a maximum unrefuelled range of 700 nautical miles (950 nautical miles with auxiliary fuel tanks), the tiltrotor is able to search for and reach the target at twice the speed of conventional rotorcraft reducing the typical helicopter mission time by 44%.>> The BA609 may descend directly from 25,000 feet to a rescue scene at sea level, into a hover, for hoist recovery of up to 6 people unlike any other aircraft. The BA609 can be provided with a tailored configuration for SAR missions. A complete range of SAR equipment including rescue hoist, litters, health care tools, basket & pump, and the standard SAR avionics suite such as search/weather radar, FLIR/LLTV, NVG compatible cockpit, and other customized equipment requested by the customer. The BA609 configuration can be quickly changed to transport up to 12 people, in addition to pilot and co-pilot.