Italy’s Leonardo expects FAA certification of AW609 tilt-rotor next year By Reuters – Investing.com

Italy’s Leonardo expects FAA certification of AW609 tilt-rotor next year By Reuters – Investing.com

DUBAI (Reuters) - Italian aerospace firm Leonardo expects the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will certify the AW609 aircraft in 2022, nearly two decades after the first test flight.

The AW609 is a twin-engine tilt-rotor aircraft that can take off like a helicopter but flies like a plane, giving it greater speed and distance than normal helicopters.

Chief Executive Alessandro Profumo said the first two AW609s built for a customer were in production and would be delivered as soon the aircraft is certified, which he expects will be next year.