Transferred today – New helicopters: Bundesheer has received the first AW169

The first AW169 multipurpose helicopter from the Italian manufacturer Leonardo was handed over on Wednesday morning in winter temperatures around freezing. Regardless of the technical details – the helicopter is significantly larger, heavier, more powerful, as well as more expensive to buy and operate than its predecessors and competing products – the deal is noteworthy for several reasons:

• After an initial round of purchases of 18 units, the Army pulled an option on 18 more AW169s just a few days ago, as the “Krone” previously reported. Another 300 million euros if it cost the republic. This was just ahead of inflation. Because the cheaper fixed price guarantee negotiated before the Ukraine crisis for another 18 units would only last until the end of the year.
• The deal is one government-to-government Geschäft. Austria does not buy the aircraft from the manufacturer (as with the Eurofighter), but from the Italian Republic. This is intended, among other things, to prevent or at least make it more difficult to pay bribes to decision-makers and officials. The nature of the deal also explains the presence of Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto at today’s ceremony.
• The order of 36 pieces is Part of a plan that looks decades into the future: The Bundesheer currently flies the AB-212, Alouette III, OH-58 and S-70 Black Hawks – all from different manufacturers and with different maintenance requirements. In the short term the AW169 will replace the Alouette III and in the medium term also the AB-212 and OH-58. The aim is that at some point only AW169s and S-70s will fly.

Two versions for the military
But back to the helicopter itself: the AW169 is available in two versions. Of the first 18 aircraft ordered, six will be “B” variants, which will be used primarily for training new pilots at Langenlebarn. This had already led to criticism, as very heavy, large and expensive helicopters with high operational costs will be used for training here in the future. The 12 remaining pieces of the military “M” variant will be stationed in Aigen and equipped for different roles: evacuation of the wounded, troop transport, but also ground combat with outboard weapons.

In their speeches at the ceremony, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner and Governor Johanna Mikl-Leiter (both ÖVP) saw “a new era for the air force” and thanked the Italian delegation, which had already arrived for talks the day before.

Three times as much extinguishing water
Regardless of the price issue – depending on the equipment, the helicopters cost 15 million euros each – experts agree that the AW169 exceeds the military’s requirements – from troop transport to firefighting and avalanche rescue. It can carry up to ten people at a speed of more than 250 km/h. In just a few minutes, the helicopter can be converted into a flying operating theater or for firefighting operations. And has about three times as much extinguishing water as its predecessor, the Alouette.

Monsters with 2200 hp
The Alps are also no problem for the transporter, with its two 2200 hp engines it can climb up to 4500 meters depending on the load. All this also has its price in daily practice. The costs per flight hour, including fuel and maintenance, are estimated to be about 30 percent higher than those of the competition. With this investment, the ministry refers to more safety in flight operations and also wants to reduce operational costs through cooperation with the Italian Air Force.