Order Doubled from 18 to 36 to Replace 60's-Era Alouette IIIS

The first of 18 AW169M helicopters was delivered to the Austrian Ministry of Defense, building on a burgeoning Italian/Austrian collaboration for the LUH program.

Options for another 18 helicopters have been exercised in the framework of the country's G2G initiative, an agreement aimed at reinforcing the collaboration between the two countries while establishing a strategic partnership in the rotorcraft sector. The new AW169M helos will replace Austria's aging Aerospatiale Alouette IIIs, which are expected to soldier on for a while longer for phase-out in 2023. The decision to double the order is good news for the Italian manufacturer, further proving the model's increasing popularity among EU defense customers.

“It gives us great pleasure to see the first AW169M LUH here in Austria and we welcome the decision to further expand the fleet," said Alessandro Profumo, CEO of Leonardo. "We look forward to providing an even greater contribution with the most technologically advanced and cost-effective solution to meet the stringent requirements set by the collaboration between the two governments. We’re committed to sustaining this important and growing programme.” 

“The development of this program and the handover of the first aircraft in line with the delivery schedule is the result of an amazing collaboration among all the involved parties," said Gian Piero Cutillo, managing director of Leonardo Helicopters. "We know the outstanding technology, performance, multirole capabilities and complete services of the type will significantly boost national defence and emergency response, even more with today’s decision to rely on an even larger fleet in the future.”

FMI: www.leonardo.com