Vertiflite May/June 2021

HISS deicing trials with the AW139 in 2007. (Leonardo)

Entering the Ice Agewith Leonardo

Leonardo Helicopters has the widest product line with ice protection systems

of the AW139, which was originally certificated at 14,100 lb (6.4 t), but later boosted to 15,430 lb (7 t).

The AW169 was first shown at Farnborough Air Show 2010 in parapublicmock-up.Certificatedat an initial grossweight of 10,100 lb (4.6 t), the AW169 operates in a variety of missions, including emergency medical services (EMS), corporate transport and some limited offshore roles. In 2015, the Rega Swiss Air-Rescue selected the AW169 — complementing its existing fleet of Airbus’s 8,150- lb (3.7-t) H145 and Leonardo’s 7,000-lb (3.2-t) AW109S “Da Vinci” helicopters — which will include Leonardo’s Full Icing Protection System (FIPS). When certificated, the AW169 will be the lightest civil helicopter ever built with full ice protection, allowing flights into forecast icing conditions. Meanwhile, Leonardo unveiled the AW189 at the Paris Air Show in 2011, in a parapublic mock-up configuration, as a civil derivative of the military AW149. This helicopter, with a gross weight of 17,600 lb (8 t), is predominantly used in offshore roles in the turbulent and temperamental North Sea by the likes of the Bristow Group (which merged in June 2020 with Era Helicopters) in support of oil platforms. Bristow was awarded the UK Maritime Coast Guard Agency’s (MCGA) helicopter search-and-rescue (SAR) contract, on behalf of Her Majesty’s Coast Guard (HMCG), for 11 AW189s to fly SAR missions 24/7 from bases throughout the UK, often in extremely challenging adverse conditions. As such, the AW189 is fitted with FIPS, allowing the emergency services to operate confidently whenever, and wherever, they are needed. In 2017, Leonardo’s AW189 FIPS Interdisciplinary Team received the VFS

By Ian Frain

O ver the last two decades, the demands on helicopters have increased, although their capabilities have not always kept up with the expansion in usage. Due to a lack of adverse weather protection, most helicopters would have to avoid flying in potential icing conditions. It was typically the larger civil helicopters — such as the Sikorsky S-92 Helibus and the (now Airbus) AS332 Super Puma used for the North Sea offshore oil platform transport — that offered ice protection. Smaller Ice Protection Ice protection is a relatively new technology for the civilian market that was not available until the late 1990s. Speaking with Leonardo’s Massimo Brunetti, the need to address ice protection for the medium twin helicopter segment has been challenging. Massimo — who has worked his way up in the company, from an avionics systems engineer 16 years ago to a research project leader and coordinator for larger projects — believes that proactive protection is a vital part of the technology, which typically involves electrical heating systems for the blades, windscreen and engine inlets.

May / June 2021

A decade ago, Leonardo (then AgustaWestland) unveiled two new helicopters for the commercial market, building on the success

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