AGUSTA

ITALY

Costruzioni Aeronautiche Giovanni Agusta SpA. Foundations of the company were laid in 1907, when Giovanni Agusta built his first airplane. Several more built before First World War. Firm revived 1923, specializing in light aircraft; Ag.2 of 1927 was a small parasol monoplane, AZ-10 twin-engined civil transport of 1954 was designed by Filippo Zappata (noted for his work with CANT and Breda). After Second World War built fixed-wing four-seater. In 1952 Agusta was granted a license to build Bell Model 47 helicopters. First Agusta-built example flew May 1954, and over 1,200 were built before production ended in mid- 1970s. The company also produced Bell Iroquois models as Agusta-Bell 204B and 205, twin-engined Model 212 (still offered as AB-212 Naval/Skyshark) and Model 206 JetRanger (still offered as AB-206B JetRanger III) helicopters. In 1967, under Sikorsky license, production of SH-3D helicopters began, and in 1974 production of HH- 3F (S-61R); production of final HH-3F Combat SAR version lasted into mid-1990s. Together with Elicotteri Meridionali, SIAI-Marchetti, and other Italian companies, Agusta became involved in production of the Boeing Vertol CH-47C Chinook. Other license-built helicopters include AB-412EP/Griffon/Maritime Patrol versions of the Bell 412EP and Griffon, AMD-500E version of the McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) MD 500E, and Agusta-Boeing 520N NOTAR helicopter.

Agusta-designed helicopters include the twin-turboshaft A109 civil/military multipurpose type (flown August 1971), A 119 Koala single-turboshaft wide-body helicopter (first flown February 1995), and A129 Mangusta tandem two-seat attack helicopter (first flown September 1983) and its more-powerful International variant with five-blade main rotor as standard (first flown January 1995). Partnered with GKN Westland on the EH 101 helicopter program (see E.H. Industries Ltd.) and with Eurocopter Deutschland, Eurocopter, and Fokker on NH Industries NH90 helicopter.


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