Aeromedical Innovations Australasia (AIA), a charitable organisation that advocates for the use proven new technology in aeromedicine, is fronting a project to examine the possibilities for the Leonardo AW609 tiltrotor aircraft to be used in Australia.
The AW609 is a tiltrotor vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft similar to the Bell V-22 Osprey. It is still being developed with an aim to being certified in the near future.
AIA's Project Thunderbird was launched in 2015, and in late November this year was the focus of a seminar held in Brisbane to explore the potential of the AW609 in medical response, transfer and evacuation flights.
Speakers at the conference represented a wide cross-section of the industry covering topics like infrastructure and training as well as tactical approaches to tiltrotor operations. AW609 Experimental Test Pilot Paul Edwards spoke about operating an AW609, and dispelled some of the myths and misconceptions that surround the aircraft.
During the seminar, it was revealed that Australia's current helicopter aeromedical capability comprised of 35 bases and approximately 50 aircraft. Estimates presented showed that using AW609s could reduce that to 11 rural bases and about 12-15 aircraft, whilst covering more of the country than the current rotary fleet does.
Projected figures for the AW609 quote a top speed of 275 knots and a range of 1000 nm. The aircraft was originally expected to be certified in 2007, but production delays, issues with Bell's V-22 Osprey and the fatal crash of a prototype have all contributed to certification delays.