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Leonardo says AW09 light-single on final certification stretch with EIS due this year

After years of missed deadlines, Leonardo says the AW09 light-single is finally on the home stretch: certification flight testing is advancing and full certification with entry into service is promised this year. If achieved, the milestone would close a long‑delayed programme and introduce a light‑single to the market.

Discovered 2026-03-02T11:34:22.154375-08:00 | 2026-03-02T11:34:22.154375-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Successful certification and entry‑into‑service this year would materially reduce programme timeline and delivery risk for Leonardo, affecting production capacity and supplier commitments [source:29807589-da61-44a5-962b-8317aef81b73].
The AW09’s arrival would add a new competitor in the light‑single market at a moment of shifting rotorcraft shares driven by recent H160 performance and broader market dynamics [source:326bd97e-8363-487d-91d9-0e1771d2a564].
The update ties into Leonardo’s wider rotorcraft strategy and advanced vertical‑lift work, informing how the group balances resources across legacy types and next‑generation programmes [source:8c46470d-672b-4c91-8b16-c9e20f4cda27].

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