Next step on the way to the new Austrian Armed Forces helicopters: After Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner and Chief of Staff Robert Brieger announced the decision for the AW169 from Leonardo as the successor to the Alouette III of the Austrian Armed Forces at the end of September (Militär Aktuell reported), Tanner and her Italian counterpart Lorenzo Guerini have now signed a letter of intent for the start of the cooperation program.
As reported by APA, this letter of intent provides for the delivery of the first aircraft by mid-2022 as requested, with the total volume of the deal amounting to the 300 million euros estimated by the ministry. According to a press release from the Italian Ministry of Defense, Austria and Italy want to cooperate more closely on a European and international level with this letter of intent. “Italy is close to the Austrian people and condemns the tragic events in Vienna, the cowardly attack on freedom and peaceful coexistence. The common values of Europe will be a dam against these attacks in the heart of democracy. The joint effort in the fight against terrorism is strong and must provide for the cooperation of all partners,” said Guerini, who sees Italy at the forefront of the fight against terrorism. Italy appreciates Austria’s “significant and qualified contribution” to international operations in which the two countries’ contingents work together with “extremely positive results”, such as in the KFOR, ALTHEA, UNIFIL, IRINI and EUTM Mali missions. “Austria and Italy will continue to play this important role with commitment and professionalism. In this sense, the Memorandum of Understanding is a further step towards ever closer cooperation between our security forces,” concluded Guerini.
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