Marenco Swisshelicopter’s SKYe SH09 Helicopter

SKYe SH09 is a single-engine helicopter primarily used for medical evacuations. Credit: Marenco Swisshelicopter.

The helicopter features ICDS 8A glass cockpit. Credit: Marenco Swisshelicopter.

The airframe of the SKYe SH09 helicopter is made from carbon fibre. Credit: Marenco Swisshelicopter.

The helicopter includes a five-bladed head rotor system. Credit: Marenco Swisshelicopter.

The SH09 is fitted with a shrouded tail rotor for low noise. Credit: Marenco Swisshelicopter.

The helicopter is fitted with a single HTS-900-2 turboshaft engine. Credit: Marenco Swisshelicopter.

The SKYeSH09 helicopter can accommodate seven passengers and one pilot. Credit: Marenco Swisshelicopter.

The helicopter has clamshell doors located on the rear side for loading cargo and medical equipment. Credit: Marenco Swisshelicopter.

The SH09 helicopter was expected to obtain EASA certification by 2017. Credit: Marenco Swisshelicopter.

The SKYe SH09 is a single-engine helicopter developed by Marenco Swisshelicopter. The helicopter was launched in 2011, and assembly of the first prototype was completed in June 2013. The prototype was rolled out in November 2013, and first flight was achieved in October 2014.

The first flight of the second prototype took place in February 2016. The EASA and FAA certifications for the helicopter were expected to be obtained by 2017 and 2018, respectively.

The helicopter will provide medical evacuation and other critical tasks.

Marenco Swisshelicopter secured an order for 45 units of SH09 helicopters at the Heli Expo show, held in Las Vegas, US, in February 2013. The helicopters will be produced at the company’s production site in Niederurnen, Switzerland. The final assembly of the helicopter will take place at Mollis Airport. As of March 2015, the total number of orders for the helicopter stood at 60.

The helicopter is expected to largely attract operators located in the US and Canada because there is a strong need for single-engine use in these markets. Marenco Swisshelicopter is also planning to introduce the SKYe SH09 helicopter in emerging markets, such as Brazil, China and Oceania. Heliflite was selected as the distributor of the helicopter in the Oceania region.

Donaldson Aerospace & Defense was awarded the contract to provide the fuel filtration system for the SKYe SH09 helicopter in June 2013.

TenCate Advanced Composites is responsible for the supply of the TC250 epoxy resin system for the helicopter. Pall Aerospace secured a contract to provide PUREair dry barrier filters for the SKYe SH09 helicopter in October 2015.

SKYe SH09 helicopter design

The SKYe SH09 helicopter features a state-of-the-art design, with the highest standards of safety, comfort and performance at low operating costs. It boasts better performance, speed and range when compared to its competitors in the 2.5 metric tonne class category.

The body of the helicopter has a good aerodynamic design and high ceiling. The airframe is built of full carbon fibre materials.

The helicopter features a five-bladed bearingless head rotor system. It is fitted with a shrouded tail rotor that provides low noise and emission levels. It is fitted with a tubular skid landing gear. The tail boom is fitted with twin vertical fins and a horizontal stabiliser.

The helicopter includes an 11m diameter main rotor, 1.2m diameter tail rotor and 10.2m fuselage length. The tail boom is positioned around 180cm above the ground.

SKYe SH09 avionics

Sagem Avionics was awarded a contract to install an ICDS 8A glass cockpit for the helicopter in March 2013.

The avionics suite of the full digital NVG compatible cockpit includes a multifunction display, engine monitoring system and primary flight display. It also includes a customisable and fully configurable user-defined checklist, optional video display, forward-looking infrared camera and vision inputs, traffic awareness system, display interfaces and improved fuel management function. In addition, it features satellite-based navigation and all-weather operations capability.

Cabin details of the SH09 single-engine helicopter

The cabin of SKYe SH09 features a flat floor and high ceiling. It can accommodate seven passengers and a pilot. It features crash-worthy seating and clamshell doors on the rear side for cargo loading.

The cabin size of the helicopter is equivalent to that of the EC135 and EC145 helicopters developed by Eurocopter. It has four doors, which include two front doors, with complete visibility, and two rear sliding doors, with partial visibility in the upper part. The front side of the cabin is fitted with Plexiglas, providing visibility in all directions.

SKYe SH09 engine and performance

The SH09 helicopter is powered by a single HTS-900-2 turboshaft engine manufactured by Honeywell. The engine offers a maximum take-off power of 1,020shp. It features a dual-centrifugal compressor and is equipped with a modern full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system.

The helicopter has a cruise speed of 260km/h, range of more than 800km and endurance of 3.7 to five hours with standard fuel tanks of 800l volume.

The maximum take-off weight of the helicopter is 2,650kg with an internal load and 2,800kg with an external load. The empty weight of the helicopter is 1,300kg.

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