On December 20, the contract for the delivery of Leonardo AW169M light multi-role helicopters was signed by the responsible head of department in the Ministry of Defense, Christina Fellner-Rapp, and the Director of Aeronautical Armaments in the Italian Ministry of Defense, Major General Guiseppe Lupoli.
The new helicopters are intended to replace the Alouette III light liaison and transport helicopters, which will be decommissioned in 2023. Following a training phase, the helicopters will be operational from 2023 and can be used for transporting people and materials as well as firefighting work, among other things. The Leonardo aircraft, for example, can transport three times as much water as the Alouette III, while its state-of-the-art avionics enable it to perform all operational tasks even at night or in poor weather conditions. “This summer, our soldiers were deployed for hours together with civilian emergency services in Hirschwang an der Rax to extinguish the flames of Austria’s largest forest fire. This disaster operation showed once again how important the deployment of our helicopters and pilots is. The procurement of the Leonardo AW169M helicopters is one of the largest since the Eurofighter and is very important for the operational readiness and safety of the population,” commented Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner on the signing of the contract.
In addition to the delivery of 18 light multi-role helicopters, the government-to-government contract also includes the delivery of mission equipment packages, a comprehensive logistics package, simulation systems such as weapon systems, electronic self-protection equipment, provisions for the deployment of special forces, an aerial reconnaissance capability and equipment for use as a rescue helicopter, as well as training for pilots and technicians. Twelve Leonardo AW169Ms will be stationed in Aigen im Ennstal, and six helicopters will be stationed at the aviation and air defense school in Langenlebarn. The contract is worth 346 million euros. Added to this are the costs for the hangar construction and renovation, a simulator building and other construction measures. https://militaeraktuell.at/im-gespraech-mit-eutm-mali-kommandant-brigadier-riener/ Extensive cooperation with the Italian armed forces is already planned during the introduction phase of the system, but especially during training and operations, starting in spring 2022. Delivery of the helicopters will begin in the fourth quarter of 2022.
