Leonardo announced today that the TH119 training helicopter has successfully completed its first flight. The TH-119 represents Leonardo's answer to the replacement of the US Navy's TH-57 Sea Ranger fleet. The helicopter is a special version of the AW119, a very successful model in the USA and on the world market already built in America also with the contribution of numerous local suppliers. After this important achievement, the TH-119 is now heading towards the American FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) certification at the beginning of 2019, making it the only single-engine helicopter to be able to operate under the IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) .
The TH-119 made its inaugural flight on December 20, with test pilot Patrick McKernan on board at the Leonardo plant in Philadelphia, where AW119s are built. The helicopter fully met its expectations during the assessment of its general flight capabilities and new avionics systems. If selected by the US Navy, Philadelphia will build a fleet of more than 125 TH-119 using the current AW119 production line.
"The TH-119, already built in the United States, is an extremely competitive product both from an economic point of view and due to the expected delivery times. It is equipped with high performance, flexibility of use and safety levels already known to operators. The TH-119 is designed not only to carry out every type of US Navy training mission currently required by TH-57 and to go far beyond those requirements, "said Andrew Gappy, head of US government sales of Leonardo's Helicopters division.
Developed on the basis of the AW119 for military training tasks, the TH-119 is the only helicopter in the world capable of overcoming the limits of visual flight (VFR - Visual Flight Rules) in the various training phases. The TH-119 is capable of covering the broad spectrum of US Navy training requirements, including various modes of landing, hovering and autorotation without resorting to simulation. To these are added those of advanced training such as the use of NVG (Night Vision Goggles) capabilities for night flight, the use of specific mission instrumentation, navigation, tactical flight, winch recovery, transport of external loads, search and rescue. This makes the TH-119 the best product on the market to meet the needs of the US Navy, often called upon to operate in challenging weather conditions and poor visibility.
The new digital cockpit from Genesys Aerosystems features the same type of information for instructor and pilot and with full IFR capability also including the flight direction system and a modern autopilot. The cabin also has a seat for the observer able to make a 180-degree turn thus offering a full view of the control panel to continue the training phase even when flying as a passenger. The TH-119 has great power margins, thanks to the proven Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-B 1000 horsepower engine, and an extremely resistant structure and skids to train pilots to perform particular landing maneuvers. The helicopter can also be refueled with the engine running to reduce ground time and maximize operational versatility.
The TH-119 is built and supported at the Philadelphia Leonardo plant that meets the FAA Part 21 standard. This allows the US Navy to reduce fleet delivery and maintenance times. With its single-engine formula, the TH-119 also provides savings for millions of dollars for American taxpayers compared to twin-engine competitors.
