AW609 titlrotor programme completes ship trial and looks to next phase
AW609 ship trials took place in April. (Photo: Leonardo)
The first Leonardo AW609 tiltrotor production aircraft made its maiden flight on 13 October 2022 which included an initial inflight evaluation of systems and general handling and it has now completed a ship trial.
Leonardo announced on 25 June that it had successfully completed ship trials of its AW609 titlrotor aircraft and was assessing the results of the landing and looking to use that information to move onto the next phase of the trials.
The trial took place in early April and involved the Italian Navy’s ITS Cavour aircraft carrier which was operating 20nm at sea. The aircraft, C4 in the production programme, took off from Maristaer Grottaglie Naval Base and according to the company demonstrated its “its effective approach, stable deck landing, and touchdown capabilities”.
“Integral to the demonstration phase was an initial test campaign developed and executed in a full synthetic environment leveraging the AW609 development/engineering simulator located in Cascina Costa,” the company said.
The trials were supported by the use of a digital twin to provide a preliminary assessment of manoeuvres and activities which were then performed in the trial in an effort to support capability development, time reduction, safety and sustainability.
The company added: “[Under digital twin] deck landing and take-off procedures were performed in more than 15 different conditions (including wind conditions), featuring straight-in and lateral approach, vertical landing, vertical take-off, and lateral exit.”
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![With a wave of upgrades, the MQ-9B is ready for high-tech warfare]()
With a wave of upgrades, the MQ-9B is ready for high-tech warfare
The modern battlefield is evolving rapidly — threats range from stealthy cruise missiles to coordinated drone swarms. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is meeting these challenges head-on with a series of transformative upgrades to its MQ-9B SkyGuardian® and maritime SeaGuardian® remotely piloted aircraft.
-
![US Air Force seeks additional suppliers of bunker bomb warheads]()
US Air Force seeks additional suppliers of bunker bomb warheads
The USAF plans to award up to four contracts to expand production of large penetrator warhead case assemblies supporting the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator and future GBU-76 Next-Generation Penetrator.
-
![June drone digest: Landmark CCA contract and deep-strike capability flourishes at Eurosatory]()
June drone digest: Landmark CCA contract and deep-strike capability flourishes at Eurosatory
June 2026 saw the landmark acquisition of the first fighter-type Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), while the month also hosted Eurosatory, which showcased deep-strike capabilities and production deals with the civilian industry.
-
![BAE Systems' UK Combat Air Demonstrator closes in on final assembly]()
BAE Systems' UK Combat Air Demonstrator closes in on final assembly
The first render for the demonstrator was unveiled in July 2025, with BAE Systems now aiming for the start of final assembly by the end of 2026 to prepare the aircraft for first flight by 2027.
-
![Rapid APKWS integration sparks “strong” demand from Typhoon customers]()
Rapid APKWS integration sparks “strong” demand from Typhoon customers
The recent operational use and success of the APKWS laser-guidance kit on the UK RAF's Typhoons has driven demand from other Eurofighter customers for integration of the system on their own combat aircraft fleet, according to BAE Systems.
