The Philippine Navy (PN)'s two armed AgustaWestland AW-109Es
are now undergoing "technical inspection and assessment."
This includes the airframe and weapon systems.
Weapon systems of the AW-109Es consist of rocket and machine
gun mounts which arrived in the second week of May last year.
This procedure is the final part before the aircraft is
accepted and commissioned with the Naval Air Group.
The latter will determine whether there are any defects or
deficiencies in the AW-109Es.
The last two AW-109E airframes arrived in the Philippines
This is part of the five-helicopter deal, worth
Php1.33-billion, signed by the Philippines
Three of the AW-109s were delivered and commissioned in Dec.
22, 2013.
The armed versions of the AW-109s will be equipped with
machine guns, 20mm cannons and possibly, with air-to-ground rockets.
The AW-109 "Power" helicopter is a three-ton class
eight seat helicopter powered by two Pratt and Whitney PW206C engines.
The spacious cabin is designed to be fitted with a number of
modular equipment packages for quick and easy conversion between roles.
The aircraft’s safety features include a fully separated
fuel system, dual hydraulic boost system, dual electrical systems and redundant
lubrication and cooling systems for the main transmission and engines.
The AW-109 has established itself as the world’s best
selling light-twin helicopter for maritime missions.
It's superior speed, capacity and productivity combined with
reliability and ease of maintenance make it the most cost effective maritime
helicopter in its class.
For shipboard operations, the aircraft has a
reinforced-wheeled landing gear and deck mooring points as well as extensive
corrosion protection measures.
The ability to operate from small ships in high sea state
enables the AW-109 to perform its mission when many other helicopters would be
confined to the ship’s hangar.
Over 550 AW-109 "Power" and AW-109 light utility
helicopters have been ordered for commercial, parapublic and military
applications by customers in almost 50 countries.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=783845
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