AgustaWestland AW101

what is it?

The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requirements for a modern naval utility helicopter. Several operators, including the armed forces of Britain, Denmark, and Portugal, use the name Merlin for their AW101 aircraft.

🔎How to recognise it: 3 turboshaft engines · 18.6 m main rotor

base stats

• speed 278 km/hcruise speed
• range 1,389 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 38passengers
• size 15.6 tmax take-off weight

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 39 years ago, in 1987.
• 🚗Rotor of 18.6 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 1,389 km: 8× Amsterdam to Brussels.

turboshaft: A turbine that turns a shaft, usually a helicopter rotor.

spec sheet

first flight

1987-10-09

introduced

2000

status

still flying

number built

—

role

helicopter

origin

🇮🇹 Italy

makers

Leonardo

engines

3× Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322-01

crew

3

passengers

38

length

19.5 m

rotor diameter

18.6 m

height

6.6 m

max take-off weight

15.6 t

top speed

—

cruise speed

278 km/h

range

1,389 km

ceiling

4,575 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.