Program Update: AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland (Booth No.

AgustaWestland (Booth No. 3039) doesn’t plan on introducing a new helicopter this week, but the company has plenty to say, beginning with the announcement that BERP IV rotor blades for the three-engine AW101 are now available as an option on new civil and military variants or as a retrofit on models already in service.

The company late last year announced it had completed flight testing for the new-generation BERP IV main rotor blades on the AW101 (née EH101). They will enter service soon on the UK’s Royal Air Force fleet of AW101 Merlins. The blades first flew in September 2006. During the test regime, the AW101 flew at speeds up to 198 knots and at altitudes of 13,000 feet. Aircraft fitted with BERP IV blades have also been flown at weights up to 36,300 pounds–2,000 pounds more than the standard AW101 maximum gross weight.