Leonardo AW169M: Austria would seek to double its fleet of Italian helicopters

After a first purchase of 18 Leonardo AW169M helicopters, the Austrian Ministry of Defense would seek to execute the contractual option to buy another 18 aircraft.

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As we reported in January this year, the Austrian Army (Bundesheer) needed to replace its aging fleet of Alouette III light helicopters that had been in service since the 1960s. In the end, the AW169M LUH from Italy’s Leonardo was the winner of the competition, competing against the U.S.-made Bell 429 and the H145M from Airbus Germany. Despite being the most expensive purchase option, it ended up winning because of the after-sales service benefits, which were very attractive to the Government.

The program calls for the delivery of 18 helicopters, six will be AW169s in the «B» training variant and 12 of the «MA» advanced multipurpose variant with integrated mission equipment and weapons systems. The contract also covers a full, customized support and training package, which will be strongly supported by the Italian Army, which also operates the AW169.

First photo of AW169B painted with Austrian Army livery!!

CSX82072 AW169B c/n 72014
Aplace2land
Tiziano Capenti #aw169b #aw169 #aw169helicopter #aw169family #aw169mLUH #bundesheer #austrianarmy #elicottero #helicopters #helicopter #helicopterpilot #helicopterphotography #verg pic.twitter.com/MwlA0aDwrZ

— aplace2land (@aplace2land) November 15, 2022

The first AW169M LUH should be delivered to the Austrian authorities before the end of the year and all deliveries of should be completed by 2026. The contract also includes options for a further 18 helicopters, which, as reported by the Kronen Zeitung newspaper, the Austrian Ministry of Defense intends to execute.

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More helicopters, but lower logistics costs

This potential deal could be worth around €300 million, and would bring the number of AW169M helicopters in the Austrian Armed Forces’ inventory to 36.

The decision would be backed by a long-term plan by the Ministry of Defense to reduce the current helicopter fleet to just two models: the «heavy» Black Hawk and the medium-weight AW169.

The addition of the first 18 AW169Ms will enable the decommissioning of the worn-out Alouette IIIs. With Leonardo’s second batch of 18 helicopters, the AB212s and OH58s that are still airworthy could be replaced. Eventually, streamlining logistics to just two helicopter models could lead to more Black Hawk or AW169M acquisitions.