Agusta A 109 Hirundo

▼ Hot and high

Dostgncd lor operations in and, mountainous regions, the A 109K incorporates more powerful engines, dust filters and improved avionics, giving it the durability to survive in harsh conditions.

A Spy launcher

An unusual use of the A 109 is as a launch ship for unmanned reconnaissance drones. These can spy on enemy positions using conventional or infra-red cameras.

A Flying ambulance

The A 109’s capacious cabin is ideal for casualty roscuo. The versatile helicopter can ferry two stretcher cases plus throe attendants to hospital.

FACTS AND

> The first of three civil A 109 prototypes made Its Initial night on 4 August 1971.

>• Deliveries of the first production A 109A began in 1975.

>■ Two of Argentina’s four A 109As wore captured during the 1982 Falklartds War and were used by tho British.

FIGURES

► In 1981 tho civil model was redesignatod A 109A Mk II. reflecting changos in transmission and othor features.

► The A 109C is a wide-body’ version with more room and increased power.

>• The Belgian army uses A 109s for scouting and anti-armour dutios.

Although AugusUi lias.1 X’tlicl «rack record for

nuking hdiwprcis designed by oilier com|>anlr. s, the A 109 llinindo (Swallow* wa> llif fiwt mass-рпкіікчхі IttllcopICJ actually designed by die Italian company.

Ціс sleek Л 109 was urigiiullv mtemk-tl to lutve.1 single SSI kV(-H) |ip. J TVirbotneca iVsia/ou XII turbosltfft. bin Гог adilitioniil safety li was redesigned 111 19(57 around two Allison iSo-CI-i

Engines

Development ol the A 109 was protracted, but the tesult has been satisfying. Urge corporations, ixiltcc department* and military users are plcu-scd with its solid perliimuince. Гог military and naval use. the llinindo carries dozens ol combinations of electronics gear, weapons and equipment ‘Пи* hi-tech maritime Л I09A ГСМ telectronic countermeasures) variant lias a radar display, direction finder, eleciromagnetic emission analyser and lamming equipment.

Above: The A 109 upholds the Italian tradition of producing aircraft with sleek, graceful lines and excellent performance. However, the Hirundo is also reliable and durable, making it ideal for both civil and military rotes.

A specialised military utility model, the A 109». was proposed, but in 1%9 this was ulwndoned in favour ol the eight-seat A I09C civil version.

PASSENGER LOAD

The s-76 *n dMngrwd merv дооПсову with lh« erv* hdcoptu* marvel m mnd. and therefore has a Ngtwr pauengc* capacity. Tho A 10Q and Bed 773 и re tnudfir ull-roiindem. with mom versatile ailronm* Ьиі tower рмделдег сарос-Ту

ЖМИ*

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s-ті smn

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MAXIMUM CRUISING SPEED

Cooier-rtional hekcnplof* hew united «рек»» »м IP the laws ol aerodynamic*. Even tto. *111 he»* mactvnce are wrfl tttroamimodL Qntng I ham irvjch tvQhor crumnq tpeedi than sunlur slrod iiotcoptern design*! Ю or 30 >*ars oatUcr

Д ІИА MIRUKC0 7*6 km* (IBS *.».h.)

M0QC1222 765 kn. h (ISA m. p.fe.)

S-76 SPIRIT МШІШеМІ

Multi-role middleweights И AEROSPATIALE SA 365 DAUPHIN: This helicopter was to replace the ASooetta И. The Dauphin II was the mam T01′ ‘–during twn engines Chna bought the production rights ‘ ‘ ‘ 55 iirid builds the type os the Z-9 Haitun; a military ’пяжоп armed with anti-tank missies й also projected.

Я SIKORSKY S-76: The S-7G has been very successful. cspociaUy in America. It lias also been devetepod as a military helicopter. But ha» had far more sales m the civ; market. Tho latest versions have ArruH turboshaft» like tho A 109K and advanced ‘glass’ cockpit displays.

■ BELL 222: Anolfier capable design, in Пегое competition with the S-76 on tho ov. l market, the Bell 222 has had little success m tho military field Its successor, the Bell 230. shows every sign of changing this, with trials on Chilean navy vessels proving vary successful and many other nations showing signs of interest

Agusta