Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

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The global rotorcraft market is growing and remains strong, according to Gian Piero Cutillo, managing director of Leonardo’s helicopter division. This is true in both the civil and military domains, he added, and the industry is expected to see steady 2% to 3% growth over the next 10 years.
In its release of preliminary results for 2025, Leonardo highlighted higher-than-expected revenue and EBITA growth, with 5.1% more new orders compared to 2024. Deliveries totaled 182 new helicopters, down from 191 in 2024, in part due to the finalization of the U.S. Navy TH-73A contract. Revenues climbed 11.1%, and new orders reached €6.2 billion (about $7.3 billion).
On the civil side, sales for offshore operations are doing well, as are EMS and corporate/VIP transportation. Leonardo enjoyed a 60% share in deliveries from 2021 through 2025 for offshore transport, search and rescue, and wind farm support.
“We believe that our current portfolio matches quite well the demand that we are seeing,” he said. “The AW139 is definitely the leader in this segment, but we see the AW189 gaining…and improving its performance and market share.” In the 8.5-tonne category, the AW149 and AW189 have captured about 70% market share.
Leonardo’s first production light single AW09 has flown, and the company has signed up 120 preliminary sales contracts. “We are quite satisfied about the results that we are having,” Cutillo said, although there were some delays after Leonardo purchased the developer, Kopter Group, in 2020, due to a need for redesign work, including new main rotor blades.
“I believe that it’s more important that we really hit the target,” he said, rather than trying to shorten the time to certification and then having to redo some items. “We are quite satisfied…and confident that this product will be successful. It has the most modern characteristics, in terms of avionics, digital solutions, and safety. We believe that it will be the answer to the needs of a number of operators.”
On the military side, increased defense spending amid rising geopolitical uncertainty is driving growth. This will lead to the deployment of new technologies for conventional and disruptive architectures, including uncrewed assets, according to Leonardo.
Integrating rotorcraft with drones or land- or sea-based platforms is the trend, and “Leonardo Group has more than a chance to [have] competence on that,” Cutillo said. “We are looking to invest. I don’t know if we have to buy a drone company to do that.”
With its AW249 attack helicopter, Leonardo and the Italian army are studying management and control of drones from the helicopter. Developing an interface to do this is more important than owning the drone technology itself, he explained.
The long-delayed AW609 tiltrotor is “the technology of the future, to overcome what I call the embedded limits of the traditional platform, which is speed, range, and vibration,” he said. “Because of the help of the wing, you have two machines in one. You can take off vertically like a helicopter, and in a few seconds, it can turn into a turboprop-type machine. We will see the market as soon as we get the certification.”

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