The first of the 18 helicopters was delivered in line with contractual commitments; with the AW169M LUH program of the Austrian Ministry of Defense opens a new era for national defense and emergency management capability.
The options for a further 18 helicopters were exercised as part of the Italy-Austria G2G initiative aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries and establishing a strategic partnership in the helicopter field.
Profumo: “We are delighted to see the first helicopter in Austria and welcome the decision to further expand the fleet. We are ready to make an even greater contribution to meet the requirements defined by the collaboration between the two Governments”.
The AW169M LUH helicopter program of the Austrian Ministry of Defense reached an important milestone today with the delivery of the first of the 18 aircraft ordered under the Italy-Austria intergovernmental agreement (G2G – Government-to-Government) announced by the two countries at the end of 2021. The delivery of the helicopter, built at the Leonardo plant in Vergiate, Italy, carried out in line with contractual obligations, was celebrated during an official ceremony held at the Tulln-Langenlebarn Brumowski Air Base, also in the presence of Leonardo's Top Management. Austria and Italy also announced today an amendment to the G2G Agreement, through which Austria exercises options for an additional 18 helicopters, providing further proof of its confidence in the selected platform.
The Italy-Austria G2G initiative aims to strengthen the bilateral collaboration between the two countries and establish a strategic partnership in the helicopter field with Austria which looks to the AW169M LUH for its plan to modernize and replace its old fleet of Alouette IIIs in service since the sixties.
The delivery of the first helicopter marks a significant leap forward for Austria, ushering in a new era of national defense and emergency management capability. Furthermore, it also represents an important milestone for Leonardo, which celebrates the first delivery on the export market of the AW169M variant, as part of a G2G programme. The Austrian crews have already started using the initial training, provided at Leonardo's Training Academy in Sesto Calende (Italy), and will also benefit from the training capabilities of the Italian Army, as operator of the AW169M LUH.
The AW169M LUH, thanks to its extraordinary performance and unique and next-generation capabilities, as well as comprehensive and specific support and training services for multi-role missions, is the most advanced and effective technological solution to meet the stringent operator requirements. The AW169M LUHs will be able to perform a wide range of missions in support of the needs of the Austrian defense and the national community such as troop transport, combat, civil protection, major emergency response, firefighting, mountain rescue and medical rescue.
Alessandro Profumo, Chief Executive Officer of Leonardo, said: “We are delighted to see the first AW169M LUH in Austria and welcome the decision to further expand the fleet. We are ready to make an even greater contribution with the most advanced and effective technological solution to meet the stringent requirements defined by the collaboration between the two Governments. We are committed to supporting this important and growing program."
Gian Piero Cutillo, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters, added: “The development of this program and the delivery of the first helicopter in line with the contractual commitments is the result of an extraordinary collaboration between all parties involved. We are convinced that the outstanding technology, high performance, multi-role features and comprehensive service package of this platform will significantly enhance national defense and emergency management capability. All of this is further strengthened with today's decision on future fleet expansion."
Note to editors on the AW169M
The AW169M is the military variant of the latest generation AW169 twin-engine helicopter, designed according to the latest FAR / JAR / EASA requirements and standards of military, public safety and government operators. The machine is characterized by exceptional levels of power, agility and maneuverability, which provide extraordinary qualities of controllability in a wide range of operating conditions, even in the presence of high temperatures and at altitude. The exclusive design of the propulsion system allows to power all the main systems with stationary rotors (APU mode - Auxiliary Power Unit), optimizing response times and operational availability. The cab is the most spacious in its class and ensures quick reconfiguration and ease of entry and exit. Pilots benefit from state-of-the-art open architecture avionics, including a fully digital cockpit and unprecedented levels of external visibility, ensuring advanced tactical and operational awareness.
The global AW169 fleet, with more than 150 units delivered to operators in nearly 30 countries, has logged more than 128.000 flight hours across all types of operations and conditions. Between orders and options, over 300 AW169 helicopters are in demand worldwide, many of them by military, law enforcement and utility operators to perform a wide range of missions including utility, surveillance, special operations , maritime patrol, land reconnaissance, training, rescue and firefighting. In Italy, the introduction of the AW169M between the Armed Forces and public safety operators, replacing various models that have been in service for some time now, also makes it possible to take advantage of logistical, operational, technical, certification and training synergies in view of the progressive growth of the AW169 fleet of the various government operators in the country. This aspect strengthens the possibility of carrying out effective and safe joint operations with other users of this modern helicopter model and represents an important qualitative leap in terms of national security, emergency response capacity and cost/effectiveness for the management of the entire cycle life of the product for the next decades.