The Agusta A109A MkII is operated by No.8 Flight of the Army Air Corps in the utility role. All 4 A109As are based at Netheravon & have been used mainly for liaison duties. The A109 resulted from a 1965 market analysis by Agusta, which highlighted the need for a high-performance helicopter for a variety of roles. The A109 first flew on the 4^th of August 1971, & deliveries began in 1976.

The A109A was built for use in a multitude of roles, which ranged from Light Attack to ESM/ECM. All types have provision for up to eight seats or two stretchers, & have two 420shp (313kW) Allison 250-C20B turboshafts. There are over 60 special role fits that the helicopter can receive. The Aerial Scout version has a machine gun, rockets, a stabilised sight & special communications equipment. The Light Attack A109A has machine guns & rockets or a Hughes TSU (Telescopic Sight Unit) & 8 TOW missiles. There are also Command & Control, Utility, ESM/ECM & Naval variants.

The Army Air Corps operates the A109A MkII, which has uprated transmission & other minor improvements. As well as the four operated by the AAC, an Argentine A109A was captured by 3^rd Commando Brigade Air Squadron during the Falklands War.

The A109A is in service worldwide, & owes its success to good design, useful features (such as all-weather avionics) & multi-role capability. The A109’s future with the AAC is uncertain, as the new EH Industries Merlin is expected to replace many of the AAC’s existing utility helicopters.

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