Italy has procured the first batch of AW249 Fenice (Phoenix) attack helicopters from Leonardo as part of the country’s rotor wing modernization program for the army.
Revealed in 2017, the initiative will produce up to 48 aircraft to replace the service’s Agusta A129 Mangusta (Mongoose) helicopters in service since the 1990s.
The initial tranche will incorporate 17 platforms that will be delivered by Leonardo starting in 2027, a report from local defense magazine Rivista Italiana Difesa said.
Four aircraft under the package are now undertaking assessments prior to the fleet’s induction, while three will serve as the program’s pre-production systems.
Additionally, one helicopter is being constructed as the primary prototype model for the effort.
Among the capabilities being tested with the Italian Army’s future combat rotorcraft is a 20-millimeter electric Gatling-type cannon, which is possibly the TM197B Light Turreted Gun System, as well as unguided rockets that are projected to be the Rafael Spike fire-and-forget anti-tank warheads.
The AW249 Fenice
Leonardo’s AW249 system has a length of 18 meters (59 feet) and a wingspan of 15 meters (49 feet).
It has a two-seat cockpit design and a payload capacity of about 1,800 kilograms (3,968 pounds).
The helicopter will be fitted with a twin General Electric CT7-8E6 turboshaft engine with approximately 2,500 horsepower each.
It can deploy at a range of up to 430 nautical miles (796 kilometers/495 miles) at a speed of 155 knots (287 kilometers/178 miles per hour).
The AW249 can reach an altitude of 6,096 meters (20,000 feet) and deploy for up to four hours straight.
