Agusta A129 Mangusta
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The Agusta A129 Mangusta (Mongoose) is an attack helicopter manufactured by Agusta (part of AgustaWestland) of Italy. It has the distinction of being the first attack helicopter to be designed and produced wholly in Europe.
Design of the A129 began in 1978. The first of five Mangusta prototypes performed its initial official flight on 15 September 1983, and the fifth prototype first flew in March 1986.
The A129 Mangusta was developed to provide an anti-tank attack helicopter for the Italian Army. Specifically for the export market, the A129 International was developed, this provides a more flexible and lower cost helicopter with added firepower and upgraded avionics.
The A129 can be used in the anti-armour, armed reconnaissance, ground attack, escort, fire support and anti-aircraft roles.
In the anti-armour role, the helicopter can carry either Hellfire or TOW missiles, or a mixture of both. The A129 can also be equipped with 81 mm or 70 mm (2.75 in) in unguided rockets and has a three-barrel 20 mm cannon in a turret mounted under its nose.
For the anti-aircraft role, Stinger or Mistral missiles can be carried.
The A129 is equipped with autonomous navigation and night vision systems in order to provide both day/night and all-weather combat capabilities.
It is interesting to note that the new 15-passenger Bell/Agusta AB139 utility helicopter is designed around the transmission of the A129.
Users
The Italian Army is currently (2004) the sole A129 operator and is equipped with 45 A129 Mangusta versions and has ordered another 15 A129 International versions. In Italian service, the latter is referred to as the Agusta A129 CBT (combat configuration) version, the first of which was delivered in October 2002.In January 2002, AgustaWestland was awarded a contract to upgrade the first 45 A129 Mangusta versions to the multi-role Agusta A129 CBT standard.
In Italian service, the Mangusta has successfully deployed with UN missions to former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Somalia and Angola. Three helicopters are now deployed in Iraq.
Versions
- A129 Mangusta: Original production version, powered by two Rolls-Royce Gem 2 turboshafts.
- A129 International: Upgraded version with five-bladed rotor, nose turret, support for Hellfire and Stinger missiles, advanced avionics equipment and two LHTEC-CTS800-2 turboshafts.
- A129 CBT: Upgraded version for the Italian army that incorporates the same advances as the A129 International version, but retains the original Gem turboshaft engines (although an uprated transmission system is fitted). It is reported that the cockpit layout is simpler than that of the A129 International.
- A129 LBH: A multipurpose assault helicopter version with a structure completely different from the standard A129s, having space for carrying eight soldiers in addition to the two crew. (The acronym LBH stands for Light Battlefield Helicopter.)
- A129 Multi-Role Proposed version, not built.
- A129 Scout: Proposed reconnaissance version, not built.
- A129 Shipboard: Proposed naval version, not built.
- A129 Tonal: In 1986, the governments of Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain signed a memorandum of understanding to investigate an improved version of the A129, called the Joint European Helicopter Tonal. (The designation "Tonal" was derived from the name of an Aztec deity.) The Tonal was to have more powerful engines, a new rotor system, retractable landing gear, improved sensors and more powerful armament. However, the project collapsed in 1990 when Britain and the Netherlands decided to obtain the AH-64 Apache instead.
Specifications (A129)
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