AW109 Trekker Helicopter

AW109 Trekker was unveiled at the Heli Expo 2014 held at Anaheim in California. Credit: AgustaWestland.

The helicopter features a G1000HTM high visibility glass cockpit. Credit: AgustaWestland.

The helicopter completed its maiden flight in March 2016. Credit: AgustaWestland.

AgustaWestland unveiled AW109 Trekker, a light twin-engine helicopter with skid landing gear, at the Heli Expo 2014 held in Anaheim, California, US. The helicopter completed its maiden flight in March 2016 and was expected to obtain certification by the end of the same year.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police placed an order for two AW109 Trekkers in June 2016. The helicopters were expected to be delivered in 2017.

Design features of AW109 Trekker helicopter

The AW109 Trekker is a new variant based on the AW109/Grand family of helicopters. The Trekker imports some of the characteristics, such as high efficiency, controllability, manoeuvrability and strength, of other light twin versions developed by AgustaWestland.

The helicopter features a skid landing gear instead of a wheeled landing gear and comes with a cocoon-type airframe that can augment the safety of passengers. The safety is further enhanced by the crash-resistant crew and passenger seats. The fuel system is also crash-resistant.

The helicopter features additional equipment, such as a 1,400kg (3,086lb) cargo hook, a 272kg (600lb) external rescue hoist, snow skis and emergency floats. External loudspeakers, video downlink and a searchlight are also fitted to suit a variety of customers.

AW109 Trekker flight deck and avionics

The AW109 Trekker is equipped with a sophisticated G1000HTM glass flight deck developed by Garmin. The avionics suite features two 10.4in primary flight display units (PFD), and a multi-function display (MFD), which provides essential information and helps reduce the pilot workload.

Sophisticated avionics equipment, such as integrated helicopter synthetic vision technology (SVT) and a highway-in-the-sky (HITS) depiction system, is fitted to the flight deck. Other equipment includes an integrated helicopter terrain avoidance warning system (HTAWS) with a worldwide terrain and obstacle database that provides enhanced situational awareness and safety, as well as three-axis autopilot and flight director with GPS.

The avionics suite further includes moving map, flight management system (FMS), dual VHF/AM radios, high-frequency radar, dual GPS, electronic standby instrument system (ESIS), Mode S transponder, and an optional third 10.4in PFD to facilitate a co-pilot.

Cabin

The AW109 Trekker features a wide and spacious cabin that provides seating for six passengers. The helicopter is designed to facilitate single pilot operation, thus allowing an additional passenger to be accommodated in the cockpit. The cabin can accommodate either one stretcher with three to four attendants, or two stretchers with two medical attendants when used for emergency medical services (EMS).

The interior layout of the helicopter can be easily altered to suit various customer-specific operational requirements, such as EMS, search and rescue (SAR), law enforcement, surveillance, and passenger transport applications.

Engine and performance

The AW109 Trekker helicopter is powered by two PW207C turboshaft engines developed by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Each engine, rated at 608kW (815shp), is equipped with full authority digital electronic control (FADEC).

The helicopter features a modular five-cell fuel system with an endurance of up to four hours and 20 minutes. The maximum cruise speed of the helicopter is 160k (296km/h) and the range is 445nm (824km). The maximum takeoff weight is 3,175kg (7,000lb) and useful load carrying capacity is more than 1,500kg (3,306lb).