Italy’s Curti Aerospace will officially make the commercial launch of its two-seat turbine Zefhir helicopter later this week at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany. Zefhir was formerly known as the “Disrupt” project that was funded by a European Commission initiative to benefit small and medium enterprises and made its public design debut in 2016.

The Zefhir helicopter was designed to serve both the recreational and commercial markets as a trainer. It was developed as a partnership between Curti and Czech engine maker PBS Velká Bíteš (PBSVB) and Junkers Profly, which developed the whole-aircraft ballistic parachute recovery system. According to Curti, the aircraft features crashworthy seats.

Its custom-designed maximum continuous 241-shp engine is derated to 141 shp. Curti said it developed the helicopter to meet the market need for a better designed light helicopter with a more powerful engine.  

For more than 40 years, Curti has made subassemblies and components for aerospace and defense companies such as Leonardo. Company products include design and manufacture of equipment for the production of parts and assemblies for helicopters, trainer aircraft, and vehicles for transporting troops and heavy artillery.