Bell Boeing/Agusta Bell AB609 variants

http://www.dvice.com/archives/2012/02/you-could-have.php

http://www.gizmag.com/agustawestland-aw609-tiltrotor/21466/
 
The 609 does suffer from the choice of engines. Use of the PT6 entails a long exhaust pipe that's a nightmare.


From what I've been told, this was decision was forced on Bell Engineering by upper management after some "wheeling and dealing" by PWAC. This is hearsay and I have no evidence to back it up.
 
elmayerle said:
The 609 does suffer from the choice of engines. Use of the PT6 entails a long exhaust pipe that's a nightmare.


From what I've been told, this was decision was forced on Bell Engineering by upper management after some "wheeling and dealing" by PWAC. This is hearsay and I have no evidence to back it up.
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The version I got was that they had to go PT6 to get the exhaust far enough above commercial helipads to not melt them. Could be a bit of both, honestly.
 
Could easily have been either reason or both.
 
The Marine Corps. is asking Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. to study equipping its mid-sized BA609 tilt-rotor aircraft for use as an armed escort for the V-22 Osprey troop transport, according to a local newspaper.
The request was made by Lt. Gen. Michael Hough, the Marines' deputy commandant for aviation, who believes the V-22 will need an armed escort aircraft to carry Marines in and out of combat zones. Since helicopters are too slow to keep up with the V-22 and jets are too fast, the escort will have to be a tilt-rotor aircraft, Hough told the paper.
The BA609 was designed by Fort Worth-based Bell and British-Italian partnership AgustaWestland for civilian use. Its first flight was in March 2003 and currently it is in flight tests.
Bell reportedly has been working on a concept for a tilt-rotor gunship, including one that is a BA609 derivative. The company plans to make a presentation of its gunship design to the Marine Corps. sometime this summer.
If the government grants the Marines' request for an escort gunship, it could mean hundreds of millions of dollars for Bell and work for its employees for decades. That would be a long way off, however. The armed escort craft first would have to be designed, approved by the Pentagon, funded by Congress, prototyped and tested before assembly could begin./quote]

Source:
http://snafu-solomon.blogspot.com/2013/10/agustawestlands-total-failure-with-aw609.html

Has anyone seen concepts for a BA609-derived gunship?
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I'm sure that there is such a thing as a AH-609 in the cubbard somewhere. Honestly though by the time you get done with all the milspec requirements you will likely end up with a different aircraft completely or one that has marginal performance goodness.
 
Somewhere.. I actually have some pamphlets from Bell Helicopter detailing a military utility version of the 609, as well as the proposed coast guard version and a third I can't recall. If I ever find them again, I'll have to post them. They were quite interesting.
 
RobertWL said:
Somewhere.. I actually have some pamphlets from Bell Helicopter detailing a military utility version of the 609, as well as the proposed coast guard version and a third I can't recall. If I ever find them again, I'll have to post them. They were quite interesting.
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I would be very interested in seeing them.
 
Triton said:
RobertWL said:
Somewhere.. I actually have some pamphlets from Bell Helicopter detailing a military utility version of the 609, as well as the proposed coast guard version and a third I can't recall. If I ever find them again, I'll have to post them. They were quite interesting.
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I would be very interested in seeing them.
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As would we all!
 
Jemiba said:
Title changed to reflect the former consortium and posts from the ebay section added
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Are you not including the current identity as the AgustaWestland AW609? Or is it a separate topic in the Aerospace section?
 
You're right ! Was trying to tidy up the epay-section yesterday evening and didn't get
that thread. Merged now.
 
Jemiba said:
You're right ! Was trying to tidy up the epay-section yesterday evening and didn't get
that thread. Merged now.
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I wasn't necessarily suggesting a merge, just asking. I think the AB609 development could stay in the "projects" section but the AW609 is definitely an "Aerospace" item...
 
Concur with Sky Blazer. Still a ongoing project.
 
I agree and would propose to move it to the aerospace section, as more than
just one prototype was already built. That's ok ?
Dividing it into "projects and proposals" in the projects section and "program"
in the aerospace section is another possibility, but I think, the border wouldn't be
clear cut and looking through, there were very few posts about the very start
of that type, I think.
 
If a choice is to be made, then "Aerospace" seems the more appropriate one.
 
Hi,


we must merge those topics;
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,24145.msg262211.html#msg262211


and here is advanced tilt-rotor design of the future;


http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/2014-10-05/agustawestland-pushes-ahead-larger-tiltrotor
 

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:-[
Very tragic. AgustaWestland #AW609 tilt-rotor prototype crashes in Italy, both test pilots killed.
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An AgustaWestland AW609 prototype has crashed near Santhià, in northwestern Italy, killing two test pilots on Oct. 30.
The tilt-rotor aircraft had taken off from Agusta’s airfield at Vergiate and the cause of the crash is still unknown.
According to the first reports the aircraft was in fire before it crashed into the ground.
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Sources:
https://t.co/WhRKDrlc1t
http://theaviationist.com/2015/10/30/agustawestland-aw609-tilt-rotor-prototype-aircraft-crashes-in-italy-killing-two-test-pilots/
 
Indeed. I am very sad at the loss as i have met with the 609 team in the past. Prayers to the families and coworkers of these fine men. Sadly this will no doubt push back the program.
 
Sad news indeed. My condolences to their families, friends, and coworkers.
 
Btw, what's the status of the certification program?
 
Unless someone knows different I think early 2021is the target.
 
From this book.
 

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Anyone want to guess at when this thing is going to get certified in the US or Europe? Surely there is a Middle Eastern person of financial interest who could pressure our great bureaucracies to move it along. Perhaps the Chinese are in need of something like this...
 
yasotay said:
Anyone want to guess at when this thing is going to get certified in the US or Europe? Surely there is a Middle Eastern person of financial interest who could pressure our great bureaucracies to move it along. Perhaps the Chinese are in need of something like this...
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Latest news I could find...

https://verticalmag.com/news/faa-pi...rst-time-as-certification-enters-final-stage/

“We are making really important progress,” said Cutillo. “We are together . . . defining the base of the certification. We still don’t have everything defined, but we are really getting close.”
He said “it’s difficult to say” whether certification could be achieved this year or next, “but we are getting close to that timeframe.”
 
"We still don’t have everything defined, but we are really getting close."

Bet we could find the same comment from 2010, 2014, 2018, etc.

Only thing missing is "We should have something tomorrow."
 
WatcherZero said:
Bell has re-joined the AW609 program as a junior partner in Leonardo's bid for the NATO Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability concept study.

www.defensenews.com

Bell, Leonardo to partner on tiltrotor helicopters

The agreement follows a long partnership between the firms on the BA609 tiltrotor program, which ended in 2011.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com
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Is that pushing the 609 as a military aircraft, or is that pushing "a tiltrotor"?

Because last I heard, the 609 was prohibited from being sold in military configuration as part of the split agreement between Bell and Augusta.
 
Scott Kenny said:
Is that pushing the 609 as a military aircraft, or is that pushing "a tiltrotor"?

Because last I heard, the 609 was prohibited from being sold in military configuration as part of the split agreement between Bell and Augusta.
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The 609 is scheduled to receive commercial certification in 2025 with a MTOW of 7.6 tons and a capacity of 2 crew and 9 passengers.
Leonardo are bidding a larger derivative for the NATO contract with a MTOW of 11 tons and a capacity of 25 passengers.
 
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Do you guys know if American suppliers are excluded from NGRC? Why not just propose the V-280 for it?
 
Its primarily an R&D contract to stimulate development (there are no firm orders), the requirement is it has to be a clean sheet design without an existing prototype to be delivered between 2035 and 2040. It was structured that way so as to preclude a US FLRAA participant double dipping and is being funded by France, Germany, Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom (as project lead) with the Netherlands and Canada signed on later. Airbus are expected to submit a RACER derivative as well.
 

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