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The Agusta A129 Mangusta (Mongoose) (AW129 from June 2007) is an attack helicopter manufactured by Agusta (part of AgustaWestland) of Italy. It is the first attack helicopter to be designed and produced wholly in Western Europe. A developed version, the T129, will be produced in Turkey by TAI for the Turkish Army.
[edit] DevelopmentThe A129 Mangusta was developed to provide an anti-tank attack helicopter for the Italian Army. An export version, the A129 International, is a lower-cost helicopter with added firepower and upgraded avionics. 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 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, TOW or Spike-ER missiles, or a mix of them. The A129 can also be equipped with 81 mm or 70 mm (2.75 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. In 1986, the governments of Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding to investigate an improved version of the A129, called the Joint European Helicopter Tonal. ("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. Spain has since acquired the Eurocopter Tiger. The new 15-passenger AgustaWestland AW139 utility helicopter is designed around the transmission of the A129.[citation needed] In the Australian Army's AIR 87 project to acquire Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters, the Agusta A129, the AH-64 Apache, and the Eurocopter Tiger were short-listed from the six original tenders. In December 2001 it was announced that the contract was awarded to the Eurocopter Tiger.[1] [edit] T129 ATAK
Turkey announced on 30 March 2007 that it had decided to negotiate with AgustaWestland to purchase 51 (+40 optional) A129 helicopters.[2][3][4] Based on the A129 International, they will be assembled in Turkey by TAI as the T129. The deal is reported to be worth $3 Billion.[5] The final contract was signed on September 7, 2007.[6] On 22 June 2008, the agreement between TUSAS Aerospace Industries and AgustaWestland formally entered into force. It has now been confirmed that the T129 will be a 100% Turkish built platform. Under the agreement, TAI will develop an indigenous mission computer, avionics, weapons systems, self-protection suites and the helmet-mounting cuing systems. TUSAS Engine Industries Inc (TEI) will manufacture the LHTEC CTS800-4N engines under licence. Under the agreement, Turkey has full marketing and intellectual property rights for the T129 platform. There are also no restrictions imposed on Turkey for the export or transfer of the platform to third countries (excluding Italy and the United Kingdom).[7] The T129 has several key improvements over the original A129 in line with the requirements of the Turkish Army:[8]
According to Savunma ve Havacılık (Defence and Aerospace) magazine, the 51 T-129 attack helicopters will be assigned as follows:[12]
The first 30 out of 50 will be TUC-1, while the following 20 will be TUC-2.
[edit] Operational historyThe Italian Army is currently (2007) the sole A129 operator and is equipped with 45 A129 Mangusta versions and has ordered another 15 A129 International versions. The Agusta A129 CBT (combat configuration) version in Italian service is based on the International, but retains the original Gem engines (see above). The first A129CBTs were 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 were deployed in Iraq before the Italian expedition's withdrawal. Also, some are now being shipped to Afghanistan, to reinforce the Italian Army there, which has only infantry units without Italian air support. [edit] Variants
[edit] Production models
[edit] Proposed models
[edit] Operators
[edit] Specifications (A129) Data from Augusta Westland A129 Technical Data[14] General characteristics
Performance
Armament
[edit] A129 InternationalData from Augusta Westland A129 Technical Data[14] General characteristics
Performance
Armament
[edit] See alsoRelated development Comparable aircraft
Related lists [edit] References
[edit] External links
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