Agusta

Agusta S.p.A. is a company Italy which does not build Hélicoptère S. It belongs to the group italo-British Agusta Westland, which is part itself of Finmeccanica. Agusta is one of the companies most technologically advanced on the worldwide market of the helicopter.

Its activities in the aircraft industry go back to the paddle of aviation. In 1907 Giovanni Agusta, founder of the company, took off on an aircraft which it even built to him. As from 1923 the company, based with Cascina Costa, worked with the design, the production and with the maintenance of plane.

Motor bike with the helicopter

At the end of the Second world war the Agusta family could not hope to take again her aeronautical activities, but Domenico Agusta had another passion that aviation: The motor bike. It created in the village of Verghera the company Meccanica Verghera (MV) to build motor bikes. A first model (MV 98) left since 1945, whose 50 specimens were sold in 1946. In 1950 the factory of Cascina Costa produced 15.000 motor bikes annually per annum, and very quickly MV Agusta becomes synonymous with motor bikes of competitions. Since 1952 MV Agusta gained the championship of the world in 125cc, before allotting 17 times of continuation the championship of the world 500cc between 1958 and 1974.

In 1952 the American manufacturer Bell sought a partner in Europe, where Sikorsky was already present by the means of agreements with SNCASE in France and Westland in Great Britain. Domenico Agusta decided to buy the license of production of the Beautiful 47, then models 204, 205, 206 and 212. Agreements were also taken with Sikorsky, since Agusta built the Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King intended for the Italian Navy. Between 1954 and 1971, year of died of Domenico Agusta, Costruzione Aeronautiche Giovanni Agusta built 1481 helicopters.

First Italian helicopters

This policy of subcontracting made it possible to train the Italian personnel and the gained experience involved at the end of the years 1950 the creation of a research department which developed a clean range of revolving aerofoils. One thus saw appearing during the years 1960 a whole series of prototypes:

Agusta A.101, three-engined of transport of the class of the Super Frelon drawn by Filippo Zappata.
Agusta-Beautiful AB.102, derived from the Beautiful 48.
Agusta A.103, an experimental single-seater been driven by an engine " maison" , MV prototype Agusta GA.70 of 85 ch. Ce which began its tests in October 1959 is preserved today at the Agusta Museum.
Agusta A.104 Hélicar, two-seater version of the precedent which took the air in December 1960. 2 specimens were built with an engine GA.140, the third with an experimental turbine Agusta GA.270
Agusta A.105, intended for the market civil and driven by a turbine Turboméca-Agusta TA-230, whose transmission was entirely conceived in Italy. Two prototypes were built:

A.105 , two-seater, from which in-flight tests began in October 1964.
A.105B , four-seater presented to the Paris airshow in 1965, now preserved by the Agusta Museum.

Agusta A.106, ambitious single-seater of fight ASM of which the Navy Italian ordered 5 specimens.
Agusta A.115, derived from the Beautiful 47J-3 with a turbine Turboméca Astazou II, only one esemplaire built.
Agusta-Meridionali EMA.124, three-seater derived from the Beautiful 47 which would have being built by Elicotteri Meridionali. Only one prototype was built, which took the air on May 28th, 1970.

The August 4th, 1971 took place the first flight of the A.109, which was a large business success.

In 1978 the program A.129 was launched, which leads to the realization of the first combat helicopter specifically designed for role in Europe. The first A.129 Mangusta took the air the September 15th, 1983. While continuing the production under license of apparatuses Beautiful (Beautiful 205, 206, 212), Agusta then expanded its range downwards with the small single-engined aircraft A.119 Koala, appeared in 1994.

EH Industries, NH Industries and Bell/Agusta Aerospace

Continuing its policy of international cooperation, Agusta created in 1981 with the British firm Westland a joint-venture, EH Industries, with for objective realizing and producing a helicopter of anti-submarine fight which can replace SH-3 Sea King, built sounds license by the two companies. In 1992 Agusta also entered to a total value of 32% the international consortium NHIndustries and in 1995 created another joint-venture, but with Bell, Bell/Agusta Aerospace, to produce convertible the Bell/Agusta BA609, but also a helicopter having to supplement to the top the range Agusta, the twin-engine AB-139, whose prototype accomplished its first flight the February 3rd, 2001.

AgustaWestland

The July 26th, 2000 the groups Finmeccanica SpA (Italy), owner of Agusta, and GKN plc (the United Kingdom), owner of Westland, had finalized an far-sighted agreement the fusion of the two companies. After approval of the European authorities a European giant of the construction of helicopters was born thus the February 12th, 2001, AgustaWestland. A creation which involved in fact the disappearance of EH Industries. AgustaWestland is thus today a leader without his field of aectivity and principal the competitor of Eurocopter. If Eurocopter gained program LUH of the US Army, AgustaWestland, associated with Lockheed-Martin, obtained contract VXX. It is thus a derivative of the EH101 which will transport the president of the the United States.

November 21st, 2005 it joint Beautiful venture/Agusta Aerospace was the subject of a redistribution of the capital, Bell reselling with Agusta its 25% in the program AB-139.

Apparatuses in production in 2007

A.119 Koala
A.109E Power
Large A.109
A.129 Mangusta
AB 412
AW.139
AW 149 (under development)
BA609 (final stage of development)
EH101

See too

Business Agusta, important legal affair of corruption in Belgium related to the sale of Agusta helicopters to Belgian national defense

Sources

R.W.Simpson (1998). Airlife' S Helicopters and Rotorcraft. Ramsbury: Airlife Publishing.
G.Apostolo (1984). The Illustrated Encyclopedia off Helicopters.
K.Munson (1968). Helicopters And Other Rotorcraft Since 1907.

External bond

Official site
nonofficial Site

Random links: