Kopter AG Group has begun flight test activities in Italy on the SH09 single-engine helicopter, the model the company will eventually manufacture at its Lafayette plant.
The company announced Wednesday morning it resumed work on the third prototype, designated as the P3, in the coastal city of Pozzallo last week after flight test and prototype maintenance teams arrived earlier this month. Work has been halted since March 10 due to COVID-19.
“We are very pleased to be back in Pozzallo to resume our work on the P3,” Kopter chief test pilot Richard Grant said. “The first few flights have been used to re-familiarize ourselves with the operation and to complete some essential training for flight crew and ground staff. There has even been the opportunity to train new team members. Good progress has been made, and we are ready to start our experimental flights.”
The testing has allowed staff to assess the model’s new main rotor configuration, official said. Since January the P3 has been flying with a modified main rotor head and next generation rotor blades, which optimizes the helicopter’s behavior and reduces the pilot’s workload during flight.
More work remains on the model, including a new tail rotor hub design that is undergoing testing in Switzerland, and other enhancements. Engineering teams are working on designs for the P3 along with a fourth prototype.
Kopter, which was acquired by Italian aerospace company Leonardo in April for $185 million but will remain an autonomous division within the company, will eventually manufacture the SH09 model at its facility near the Lafayette Regional Airport. It plans to employ 125 by 2025.
Leonardo opened its Gulf of Mexico Support Center at Broussard last year.
“The SH09 is a real game-changer, addressing evolving needs and delivering more capabilities at competitive costs,” the company said in a statement. “The end-to-end digitalization of the SH09 program will be a key enabler.”
———
©2020 The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.
Visit The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La. at www.theadvocate.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
