First AW169 for Austria
Leonardo delivered the first AW169 utility helicopter. Vienna government placed the initial order for 18 aircraft at the end of 2021. Handover of helicopter completed Vergiate Facility of the company, based in Italy. But the official ceremony was in Tulln-Langenlebarn Brumowski Air Base with the attendance of Leonardo's high-level officials.Austria selected AW169 helicopters to replace existing SA 316 Alouette III helicopters, mainly deployed for liaison tasks. Austria has an additional helicopter option under the agreement as well.Helicopters are seen as a major capability increase for the Austrian Armed Forces. Italian platforms offer further task definition compared to lighter Alouette IIIs thanks to a modern and more robust structure. New helicopters are equipped with modern avionics and are suitable for troop transport, combat operations, disaster relief, emergency response, fire fighting, mountain rescue and MEDEVAC.
