Leonardo AW109

Updated: October 2026 – A dark-painted corporate helicopter lands next to the exhibition grounds, a white-and-red rescue helicopter fights its way through an Alpine valley, a gray military helicopter stands on an air base in Sweden: with a bit of luck, every time it was a Leonardo AW109. The light twin from Italy has been flying since the 1970s and is still in the lineup today. Here you learn how to recognize it with confidence, how to tell its many variants apart and where you have the best chances of a sighting.

What is the Leonardo AW109?

The AW109 is a light, twin-engine multirole helicopter in the three-ton class. In its basic configuration it has room for one or two pilots and up to six passengers. The current GrandNew and Trekker versions are powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207C turbines; for both, Leonardo quotes a maximum takeoff weight of 3,175 kilograms with internal load and a rotor diameter of 10.83 meters. You will find more on the engine maker on the Pratt & Whitney page.

Its areas of use are widely spread: business and private flights, air rescue, police, border protection, training and military tasks. In the VIP segment in particular, the AW109 has a special reputation. It is fast, slim and, with its pointed nose, looks more like a sports car than a workhorse.

It was and is built in the Leonardo Helicopters orbit in northern Italy, near Milan Malpensa Airport. Fuselage parts have also come from PZL-Świdnik in Poland since the mid-1990s. The page on Leonardo introduces the whole group.

From the Hirundo to the GrandNew: the history

Agusta was long known mainly as a licensed builder, among other things of Bell helicopters. In the late 1960s the Italians dared a design of their own. At first Agusta thought of a single-engine helicopter, but the market demanded two engines – so the plans were changed in 1969. The first of three prototypes took off on August 4, 1971. The US aviation authority, the FAA, granted VFR certification on June 1, 1975, and the type entered service in 1976.

At first Agusta marketed the helicopter under the name “Hirundo,” Latin for swallow. The nickname disappeared again after a few years. The A109 is regarded as the first fully Italian helicopter to be produced in large numbers. The first production version, the A109A, flew with two Allison 250-C20 turbines.

Version after version followed. The main milestones:

Version	Feature	Landing gear
A109A / A109A Mk II	first production versions, Allison 250 engines	retractable wheels
A109C	civil eight-seat version	retractable wheels
A109 K2	for high altitude and high temperatures, used by Rega among others	fixed wheels
A109E Power	modernized, Arrius or PW206C engines	retractable wheels
AW109S Grand	stretched cabin, PW207 engines	retractable wheels
AW109 GrandNew	Grand with a modern glass cockpit and four-axis autopilot	retractable wheels
AW109 Trekker / TrekkerM	civil and military utility model	skids

With the merger of Agusta and the British manufacturer Westland into AgustaWestland in 2000, the designation AW109 took hold. Since 2016 the helicopter division has been part of Leonardo, and the type names have stayed. That makes the AW109 a model built for about five decades.

The features that are enough to identify it

Light twins look alike at first glance. With the AW109, three observations help you, and they work from some distance, too.

The final proof, as always, is the registration. Swiss helicopters carry an HB registration, Italian ones an I- and German ones a D-H. How the Swiss system works is explained in the article on Swiss HB registrations; the basics are in Understanding aircraft registrations. How to find a specific aircraft again is shown in Tracking an aircraft by registration.

AW109, AW169, H145 or Bell 429?

The most common mix-ups happen within the family itself and with Airbus. The AW169 and the larger AW139 also have retractable gear and an open tail rotor – but five rotor blades and a lot more fuselage. The Airbus H145 and the H135 give themselves away with their Fenestron. The finder helps you narrow it down.

Another candidate is the Bell 429, also a light twin with four blades. It has a taller, boxier cabin with large rear clamshell doors, though. The older Sikorsky S-76 also has retractable gear and a pointed nose but is a size larger. The guide How to recognize helicopter types gives you a good overview of all common types.

Rega: from the A109 K2 to the Da Vinci

For spotters in German-speaking countries, the AW109 is linked above all with one name: Rega. The Swiss Air Rescue service introduced the A109 K2 in August 1992. This version was designed for high altitudes and high temperatures and stands on fixed wheels instead of retractable gear – an advantage when landing in rough terrain.

From 2009 came the AW109SP “Da Vinci,” a version based on the AW109SP that, by Rega’s own account, it coordinated closely with the manufacturer. The goal was an aircraft tailored to mountain rescue: more power and cabin space, less maintenance and less noise. Eleven Da Vincis flew from the mountain bases, while in the lowlands Rega relied on Airbus helicopters. Rega itself quotes an operating altitude of up to 5,000 meters above sea level.

Rega is now renewing its entire helicopter fleet with the five-blade Airbus H145 D3, which flew its first mission in spring 2025. A total of 21 new aircraft are gradually replacing the older H145s and the Da Vincis; according to Rega, the Da Vincis flew missions for around 16 years. By summer 2026, several mountain bases such as Locarno and Erstfeld had already switched over. As of October 2026, the Da Vinci is thus a phase-out model – if you still want to photograph one in Rega colors, you should hurry.

Period	Type at Rega	Use
from 1992	Agusta A109 K2	rescue helicopter
from 2009	AW109SP Da Vinci (11 aircraft)	mountain bases
from 2025	Airbus H145 D3	replacement of the entire helicopter fleet

The Rega headquarters with the ambulance jet hangar is on the edge of Zurich Airport; the helicopters of the Zurich base, however, do not take off from there, and the Da Vinci was at home at the mountain bases anyway. From Observation deck B, with luck you will still see corporate and VIP helicopters. The article Plane spotting in Zurich offers more tips for the region.

VIP helicopters: Grand and GrandNew

In business travel, the AW109 has been a fixture for decades. It is fast enough for flights between cities, compact enough for hotel and corporate landing pads and has two engines – for many customers an important safety argument. In the mid-2000s the AW109S Grand arrived, a version with a stretched cabin and more powerful PW207 engines.

Today’s AW109 GrandNew builds on it. For it, Leonardo quotes a maximum cruise speed of 283 km/h, a range of up to 833 kilometers with auxiliary tanks without reserve and an endurance of a good four hours. Added to that are a glass cockpit with a four-axis digital autopilot, wide sliding doors on both sides and an enlarged baggage compartment. Five passengers fit in the VIP layout, six in the corporate layout. According to the manufacturer, the GrandNew meets Performance Class 1 under Category A – so it can take off or land safely even after an engine failure.

A record flight in 2008 showed how reliable the concept is: two US pilots circled the globe in an AW109S Grand in 11 days, 7 hours and 2 minutes – at the time a speed record for helicopters.

For spotters, that means: VIP AW109s turn up at commercial airports, business aviation aprons and large events. They are often painted dark or in corporate colors, sometimes with striking special liveries. An alert on the type code is especially worthwhile here.

Military and government versions

The AW109 also has a long history with armed forces and government agencies. As early as 1975, Agusta investigated military versions, and in 1976 and 1977 tests with anti-tank missiles followed.

Belgium: In 1988 the Belgian armed forces bought 46 A109s, the A109BA version with fixed landing gear and sliding doors. The purchase triggered the so-called Agusta affair: at issue were payments from Agusta to Belgian socialist parties to secure the order. Years later the scandal caught up with Willy Claes, then NATO Secretary General: he resigned and was later convicted.

Sweden: In 2001 the Swedish armed forces ordered 20 aircraft as the Hkp 15, split into a transport version and a shipborne search and rescue version. In 2015, Swedish AW109s on a Dutch ship took part in anti-piracy operations off Somalia.

Italy: The Italian Army used the A109 for around 45 years and retired it in October 2021. The Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza and Polizia di Stato also operated the type. The Italian Air Force wing 31° Stormo is another point of interest for fans of Italian state aviation.

Other operators: South Africa ordered thirty aircraft of the military AW109 LUH version in 1999, most of them assembled in the country. New Zealand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Algeria are also among the users. From 2000 to 2008, the US Coast Guard flew eight A109Es as the armed MH-68A Stingray against smugglers. In the United Kingdom, the Army Air Corps and the Royal Air Force used the type, the latter among other things for government and royal flights. Argentina deployed three A109As in the 1982 Falklands War.

The newest offshoot is the AW109 TrekkerM, based on the skid-equipped Trekker. Leonardo promotes it for troop transport, casualty evacuation, search and rescue, special forces and training – from basic instruction to instrument flying.

What you need to keep in mind when photographing around air bases is covered in the article Photographing military airfields: rules.

The Trekker: the AW109 on skids

In February 2014, AgustaWestland announced the AW109 Trekker. It takes over the engines and rotor of the Grand line but stands on fixed skids instead of retractable gear. The skid gear is simpler in design and suits operations on unpaved surfaces. For the Trekker, Leonardo quotes a maximum cruise speed of 274 km/h, up to 828 kilometers of range with auxiliary tanks and a takeoff weight of up to 3,350 kilograms with external load.

Typical areas of use are air rescue, police, border protection and utility flights with a cargo hook. A well-known operator is the Tokyo police, which chose the Trekker in 2016. For you as a spotter, the Trekker is the easiest AW109 to identify: a slim AW109 fuselage plus skids – a combination that exists nowhere else in the family.

Where you meet the AW109

Place	Chance of a hit	Why
Northern Italy around Malpensa	high	Home of Leonardo Helicopters, many government and corporate aircraft
Rega’s Swiss mountain bases	declining	The Da Vinci is currently being replaced by the H145 D3
Business aviation aprons at major airports	medium	VIP and corporate helicopters
Trade fairs, large events, motorsport	medium	Shuttle flights for guests
Aviation museums	check ahead	Exhibits change; ask the museum about its holdings

In northern Italy, a visit to the museum Volandia right at Malpensa Airport is worthwhile – in the historic halls of the former Caproni works, much revolves around Italian aviation history, and you will find the spot for it under Volandia at Milan Malpensa Airport. Which exhibits are currently on show is best checked with the museum beforehand.

Many civil AW109s transmit ADS-B data and show up on flight tracking services, though VIP flights are sometimes filtered. How to search specifically for helicopters is explained in the guide Tracking helicopters on the flight tracker. General tips on rotorcraft spotting are in Spotting helicopters.

Photo tips especially for the AW109

With helicopters, the shutter speed decides. If you freeze the rotor completely, the AW109 looks like a model about to drop out of the sky.

How to find the right shutter speed is explained in the guide Photographing propellers: the right shutter speed – the technique works the same way for rotors. When the light suits your location, you plan with the sun position guide, and with the sun position planner in Planetrack you see right at the spot when the sun is behind you.

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

Conclusion

The AW109 is a classic that never went out of style: in the air since 1971, continuously modernized and still in Leonardo’s lineup today. It is especially appealing to spotters because so many faces hide behind the same type code – from the old A109A through the Rega Da Vinci to the skid-equipped Trekker and the VIP GrandNew. Four blades, a two-blade tail rotor and a slim fuselage give you the type, the landing gear the line, the registration the confirmation. If you are just getting started, Plane spotting for beginners will quickly get you on course.