It might weigh just 205 kilograms but the AWHero, an unmanned helicopter, could well become the future of military and civilian aviation needs.
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The AgustaWestland Hero Italian helicopter company Leonardo put its machine on display at the Aviation Technology Park on Thursday at local firm Air Affairs.
Air Affairs has joined forces with Leonardo, a company with more than 100 years of history in aviation, in bringing the aircraft to Australia.
Air Affairs CEO Chris Sievers said it was an exciting prospect.
“The AWHero has unlimited possible uses,” he said.
“It could well be a tool not just for the defence force but civil agencies as well.
“This is the future and we wanted to be involved. And we are always looking for new opportunities for Air Affairs and the Shoalhaven.”
Air Affairs has a long history with unmanned aircraft, starting more than 30 years ago with the Jindivik target drones, through to developing its own Phoenix drone. It has a fleet of 15 Learjets, which it is uses to provide all sorts of training for the three arms of the ADF.
The company also produces all fire maps nationally, and spent time last week at Tathra mapping that disastrous fire for authorities.
Leonardo sales engineer Roberto Pretolani, who has been with the project since its conception in 2012, said it was exciting to bring the aircraft to Australia.
“I was there when it was developed, then its first flight and have continued through its various stages of development,” he said.
“And there are many different ways the aircraft can be configured and used.”
Leonardo maritime capability development manager Mike Clark said the aircraft had a wide variety of possible uses.
They could assist in the battlefield in a reconnaissance role, help agencies tasked with responding to natural disasters like fires and floods, keep an eye on remote borders to spot human traffickers and unlawful fishing, he said.
It could also have roles in search and rescue, crime prevention and traffic management - the uses really are endless, especially here in Australia which is such a big and widely spread out country.
“As the name suggests, unmanned aircraft also mean the human element, like a pilot and flight crew, are not put as risk.”
Air Affairs and Leonardo will look to convince the federal government the AWHero is the suitable platform for the defence force when Minister Marise Payne visits the company on Friday.
The aircraft itself weighs just 205kg, can be folded up for transportation and can even fit in the back of a helicopter such as a MRH90.
It has a top speed of 90 knots or close to 160km/h and has a maximum altitude of 10,000 feet.
With a small footprint, the aircraft doesn’t need a big area to launch, and can easily be used from the back of a ship. It can fly in all conditions and can be launched in up to 40 knot winds.
The 55 horsepower engine is powered by heavy fuel, making it compatible with military aircraft, meaning it can be operated simultaneously, side by side with manned aircraft from the same platform, such as naval boats.
The aircraft stands just 1.2m, is 3.7m long and its main rotor has a diameter of 4 metres.
It has flight time range of six hours with a 35kg payload.
The aircraft will be put through its paces at the Ocean 2020 maritime exercise in the Mediterranean where Leonardo will take the lead with 42 other partner companies in the operation.
The aircraft will be flown locally later in the year with Mr Sievers saying the companies would definitely be competing for Defence tenders to supply such aircraft which were expected to be announced late in 2018.