AgustaWestland AW609, tiltrotor aircraft displaying at the 2015 Yeovilton RN Air Day
The AgustaWestland AW609, formerly the Bell/Agusta BA609, is a twin-engined tiltrotor VTOL aircraft with a configuration similar to the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. It is capable of landing vertically like a helicopter while having a range and speed in excess of conventional rotorcraft. The AW609 is aimed at the civil aviation market, in particular VIP customers and offshore oil and gas operators. The aircraft's purpose is to take off and land vertically, but fly faster than a helicopter. The AW609 is a tiltrotor aircraft capable of landing where conventional fixed wing aircraft cannot, such as heliports or very small airports, while having twice the speed and the range of any available helicopter. Outwardly, the AW609 appears to be similar to the military-orientated V-22 Osprey; however, the two aircraft share few components.
Size: 3603px × 2883px
Location: RNAS Yeovilton, Yeovil, Somerset, UK
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: agustawestland, aircraft, aw609, flying, helicopter, stol, tiltrotor, vtol
