Develops, builds and supports the AW09, a next-generation single-engine light helicopter.

Kopter Group AG

Pfäffikon (CH) · Mollis (CH) · Germany (compliance verification)New on Amplifa

2007Founded (as Marenco Swisshelicopter)

320Employees (as of the 2020 Leonardo acquisition)

3Sites (Pfäffikon, Mollis, Germany)

40–100planned aircraft per year

2.5 tclass of the AW09 helicopter

About Kopter Group AG

Kopter Group AG, based in Switzerland, develops and manufactures the AW09, a five- to eight-seat, single-engine multi-purpose helicopter in the 2.5-tonne class, positioned as a clean-sheet design in a market segment shaped by decades-old airframe construction. The airframe is made entirely of carbon composite materials, enabling comparatively low empty weight with high stiffness and strength; further features include a shrouded Fenestron tail rotor, a cockpit with excellent all-round visibility and modern avionics. The helicopter is designed for passenger transport, utility missions, medical and rescue services, and law enforcement/police operations, among others. Since April 2020, Kopter Group AG has been part of the Italian Leonardo Group; at the time of the acquisition the company employed 320 staff. The Switzerland operations are split between the Pfäffikon site (design) and Mollis (assembly and flight testing), with a further plant in Germany handling compliance verification; a production capacity of 40–100 aircraft per year is targeted.

Site: Pfäffikon SZ, Switzerland
Processes: Customer Service and Support (Customer Support & Services)
Materials: Carbon composite material
Certificates: EASA certification program
Founded: 2007
Employees: 320
Industries: Aviation, Helicopter manufacturing

01
Design and Engineering
02
Carbon Composite Structure Manufacturing
03
Assembly
04
Compliance Verification
05
Flight Testing
06
Certification
07
Customer Service and Support

Materials and Construction

CFK

Carbon composite material

The AW09 airframe is made entirely of carbon composite materials, enabling low empty weight with high stiffness and strength.

Sites

Pfäffikon

Design/Headquarters

Materials: Carbon composite materials

Mollis

Assembly and flight testing

Germany

Compliance verification

Components and Configurations

**AW09 in flight test over the Matterhorn**Testing · Aviation

**AW09 at the Catarina Air Show**Trade fair presence · Aviation

**AW09 distributor event in Vergiate**Partner network · Aviation

Inside the production

EASA team during flight tests in Mollis (March 2026)

Industries

AviationHelicopter manufacturing

Additional services

Customer Service and Support (Customer Support & Services)

Reference customers

Metro AviationGualter Helicopteros (Distributor Brazil)

Quality and Certification

Certification is carried out according to EASA standards; EASA conducts its own evaluation flight tests at the Mollis site, and a plant in Germany specializes in compliance verification.

Evidence	Mollis
EASA certification program

History

2002
Martin Stucki begins design work that led to the SH09
2007
Founding of Marenco Swisshelicopter by Martin Stucki
2009
SH09 officially launched (SKYe SH09)
2011
Pre-series prototype publicly presented at the Heli-Expo in Orlando
2014
First flight of prototype P1 on 2 October
2016
First flight of P2 in February; more than 100 employees
2018
Rebranding to Kopter, helicopter name SH09; first flight of P3 in November
2020
Leonardo completes the acquisition of Kopter Group AG from Lynwood (Switzerland) (8 April, approx. USD 185 million plus earn-out); 320 employees at that time
2021
Leonardo renames the SH09 to AW09 on 21 April
2023
Planned first flights of the pre-series aircraft PS4 (Q1) and PS5
2026
Michele Riccobono becomes CEO of Kopter (April); EASA flight tests at the Mollis site; longest AW09 flight (4 hrs 50 min.)