AgustaWestland AW109

The AgustaWestland AW109, originally the Agusta A109, is a lightweight twin-engine eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter designed and first produced by the Italian manufacturer Agusta, and it was the first all-Italian helicopter to be mass-produced. Development began in the late 1960s as a commercial design; a twin-engine layout was chosen in response to market interest, and the civil model was given priority over the military-oriented A109B project. The first of three prototypes flew on 4 August 1971, a long test phase followed because of a dynamic instability that took roughly a year to resolve, and the type received Federal Aviation Administration certification on 1 June 1975 and entered service in 1976. Production passed to Agusta's successor companies, AgustaWestland and then Leonardo, and the helicopter has served in light utility, VIP transport, air ambulance, law enforcement and search and rescue roles, with dedicated military versions for land and sea use.