Agusta A.101

Agusta

Industry	Aerospace, defense
Founded	1923
Founder	Count Domenico Agusta
Headquarters	Cascina Costa , Italy
Products	Helicopters, aircraft
Website	www.leonardocompany.com/en/home

The Agusta A.101—initially known as the AZ.101—was an Italian large-scale prototype transport helicopter developed during the 1960s. Although it attracted potential interest from Italy’s military forces, no orders were finalized, leading to the project's termination in 1971.

Design and development

Featuring a traditional single main rotor layout combined with a tricycle landing gear, the A.101 was powered by three turboshaft engines. Its fuselage included a rear loading ramp alongside two spacious sliding doors for troop access.

The final developmental iteration involved extending the fuselage length by 3 m (10 ft) and installing more powerful General Electric T58 engines, which significantly enhanced its performance. Despite these improvements, the Italian government ultimately chose to adopt licence-produced variants of the SH-3 Sea King manufactured by Agusta, rather than proceeding with their indigenous design.

The only existing prototype is preserved at the Museo Agusta located in Cascina Costa.

Variants

A.101D

This initial concept, created by Filippo Zappata and displayed as a model at the Milan Trade Fair in April 1958, was also identified as AZ.101 in recognition of Zappata’s design contribution. It was intended to be powered by three 750 hp (559 kW) Turbomeca Turmo engines.

A.101G

The only prototype built, equipped with three 1,400 hp (1,044 kW) Rolls-Royce Gnome H.1400 turboshaft engines.

A.101H

A proposed enhanced variant featuring a fuselage extended by 3 m (10 ft), fitted with tricycle landing gear and driven by three General Electric T58 turboshaft powerplants.

Specifications (A.101G configuration)

File:Agusta A.101 helicopter (1964).jpg

The A.101 helicopter in 1964. Third from right is Count Domenico Agusta, fourth is Filippo Zappata