Leonardo appoints new Asian distributor

Leonardo HeliTech

Aerospace manufacturer Leonardo has appointed Helitech Asia as its distributor for the AW09 helicopter in southeast Asia

The announcement was made at the 2023 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition in Malaysia.

Helitech Asia will distribute the single-engine rotorcraft – designed for a range of roles, including passenger transport, law enforcement and emergency air ambulance missions in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

Leonardo previously announced at the Heli-Expo conference, held between 6–9 March in the US city of Atlanta, that it had preliminary sales contracts for over 50 AW09s with various units, including 10 units and 10 options with Helitech Asia.

The AW09, formerly known as the SH09, was designed by Swiss firm Kopter Group, and was acquired as part of Leonardo’s takeover of that company in 2020.