Back Agusta A129 Mangusta AN أغستا إيه 129 مانغوستا Arabic Agusta A 129 BS Agusta A129 Mangusta Czech Agusta A129 German AgustaWestland AW129 Mangusta Spanish Agusta A129 Mangusta Estonian آگوستا ای۱۲۹ مانگوستا Persian Agusta A129 Mangusta Finnish Agusta A.129 Mangusta French
| A129 Mangusta | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Agusta A129 Mangusta over Lugo, Emilia-Romagna | |
| General information | |
| Type | Attack helicopter |
| National origin | Italy |
| Manufacturer | Agusta |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | Italian Army |
| Number built | 60 (+7 prototypes and demonstrators)[1] |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1990 |
| First flight | 11 September 1983[2][3] |
| Developed into | TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK |
The Agusta A129 Mangusta (English: Mongoose) is an attack helicopter originally designed and produced by Italian company Agusta. It is the first attack helicopter to be designed and produced wholly in Europe.[4] It has continued to be developed by AgustaWestland, the successor company to Agusta. It has been exclusively operated by the Italian Army, which introduced the type to service during 1990.
The A129 has undergone several combat deployments, seeing use in Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. It has proven well suited to operating in hot climates, as well as quite flexible in the field. The original 60 rotorcraft have been upgraded multiple times since entering service with the Italian Army; improvements have included compatibility with additional munitions, new targeting systems, improved avionics, better data-handling, and a more powerful transmission. Various improvements and export models have been proposed, including dedicated naval and reconnaissance variants. The TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK derivative has been developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries in cooperation with AgustaWestland for the Turkish Army as well as other services and export customers. Since 2017, work has been underway on a larger successor to the A129 for the Italian Army, the Leonardo Helicopters AW249.
- ^ Mattioli, Marco (2004). Aviolibri n.8 - A129 Mangusta Italian Attack Helicopter. Italy: IBN Editore. ISBN 88-7565-001-2.
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