Vertiflite May/June 2021

As the vaccine rollout proceeds, and economic growth accelerates, energy prices should continue to rise. Eventually, this should boost demand for the heavy-lift models that tend to be utilized by the offshore oil and gas companies, as well as for the new super-medium models that were designed expressly for this segment of the market. In the near term, though, recent consolidation in the oil and gas services industry will hold down overall demand for rotorcraft in the sector. And some of the revived demand will initially be met by the increased use of underutilized assets in industry fleets. The economic downturn also impacted other segments of the civil rotorcraft market, particularly segments such as private transport, corporate transport, utility, and air tourism and sightseeing. By contrast, the search-and rescue (SAR) segment showed some resilience in the face of overall market conditions, as did the emergency medical services (EMS) and law enforcement segments. rising tax revenue, parapublic agencies will have larger budgets with which to purchase new rotorcraft for such roles as law enforcement, border and coastal patrol, and VIP transport and/or to subsidize private operators As growing economies replenish government coffers with

that provide services such as SAR, EMS and aerial firefighting. Offshore wind farm services are a niche market that shows considerable promise. The diversity of the civil rotorcraft market is able to help manufacturers navigate through difficult times. If market conditions are bad in some segments, they may not be as bad in others. Most helicopter models sold today are multi-role designs, and can be configured or customized for use in a wide variety of roles. For instance, though they were initially aimed mainly at oil and gas operators, the new super-medium helicopters such as the Airbus Helicopters H175, Bell 525 Relentless and Leonardo AW189 feature a versatility that has opened other markets and operator types to these models. Airbus Helicopters is looking to shake up the intermediate-twin engine class with the H160, which is scheduled to enter service this year. The H160 is targeted directly at the Leonardo AW139, which has dominated the class for many years. The H160 will essentially replace the AS365 and H155 in the Airbus Helicopters product line. The European company has also established

formidable positions in the lighter segments of the civil market with its H125 light single and H135 and H145 light twins.

Leonardo has leveraged the AW139 design into a family of derivatives that includes the smaller AW169, as well as the AW189 super-medium machine and the AW149 military model. In 2020, Leonardo strengthened its presence in the light-single segment with its acquisition of Kopter Group. Kopter, which now operates as an autonomous entity within Leonardo, is developing the single-engine SH09, now renamed the AW09. Currently in flight testing, the AW09 is scheduled for service entry in the 2022–23 timeframe. It will complement the AW119 in the Leonardo line-up. Meanwhile, flight testing continues of Leonardo’s AW609 civil tiltrotor aircraft. The advent of the AW609 and AW09 will transform the top and bottom ends of the Leonardo civil product line. With the introduction of the 525 super-medium twin and the 505 light single, Bell has also been revitalizing its civil product line. Certification of the 525 by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected later this year. Equipped with fly-by-wire

May / June 2021

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