Agusta A129

Agusta A129 Mangusta
Agusta A129 "Mangusta"
Type:	Attack helicopter
Design country:	Italy
Manufacturer:	Agusta
First flight:	September 15, 1983
Production time:	1980s
Number of pieces:	60

The Agusta A129 Mangusta (Italian for mongoose ) or AW129 is an all-weather attack helicopter that was created due to a request by the Italian armed forces . The A129 was originally planned as a further development of the Agusta A109 . However, this could not be achieved because of the high demands on the armor, which is why the helicopter had to be completely redesigned. The first flight took place on September 15, 1983 (other source: November 11, 1983).

variants

Agusta A129 Mangusta

Flight maneuvers at Air 04 in Payerne (Switzerland)

Tonal

In the late 1980s, Italy, Great Britain and the Netherlands developed an improved variant of the A129 called Tonal ( Joint European Helicopter Tonal ). Great Britain and the Netherlands decided in favor of the US Hughes AH-64 Apache , Italy procured the improved export version of the A129 and upgraded its older helicopters to the export version, which incorporated a number of Tonal solutions.

A129 International

After developing the Mangusta, Agusta had already started to equip its fifth prototype , the MMX598, with a turret cannon for an export version in 1997 . So far, no export customers have been won.

The innovations compared to the A129 are as follows:

• 20mm chin MK turret with a Lockheed Martin / Otobreda TM 197B
• Ammunition feed along the hull
• Possibility of carrying up to 4 × AIM-92 "Stinger" air-to-air missiles (a version of the FIM-92 Stinger )
• 2 × LHTEC T800-LHT-800 turbines with 996 kW each and reinforced gear
• 5-blade main rotor
• Increase in take-off weight to 4.6 tons
• more ergonomic cockpit design with GPS navigation
• improved self-protection systems.

A129 CBT

This version for the Italian Army received a contract for 15 machines in the A129 CBT version in 1999. Two years later, a follow-up order was placed to retrofit 45 A129 Mangusta to the CBT stand. It is also known as A.129 G-13.

Differences compared to the export variant A129 International are the two Rolls-Royce Gem 2-1004D turbines, a simplified avionics (helicopter infrared navigation system - English Helicopter Infrared Navigation System ( HIRNS II Plus )) and a sensor display unit ( English sensor display Unit ), which feeds battle-relevant information directly into the night vision goggles on the pilot's helmet.

T129 ATAK

At the end of March 2007, Agusta Westland won the ATAK ( Tactical Reconnaissance and Attack Helicopter ) tender of the Turkish army with the A129 . 52 combat helicopters will be built under license by Turkish Aerospace Industry ( TAI ) in Turkey , whereby a full technology transfer, the involvement of Turkish suppliers and the installation of new Turkish components have been agreed as part of the deal. In this form, the helicopter, to which TAI will have the complete marketing rights, will be called the T129. The first flight started at the end of September 2009. The P1 prototype of the T129 crashed on March 19, 2010 during a test flight near Verbania (Italy) when the tail rotor failed at an altitude of around 4500 m . The test pilot Luigi Cassioli was able to bring the machine under control, but could no longer prevent the impact and was injured, as was the flight engineer present on board.

Compared to the basic version of the A129, the T129 will have the following improvements:

• Better LHTEC-CTS800-4A engines with 1015 kW increase the max. Bet by 20%.
• Top speed 278 km / h.
• A higher maximum take-off weight of 5.5 t.
• Operational range 1000 km.
• Aselsan is developing an EFIS (glass cockpit) system for the helicopter.
• A radar like the one on the Apache Longbow is to be installed, but this is based on IAI / ELTA's (Israel); it can detect land and sea targets 30 km away, and the radar system also has SAR and ISAR capabilities.
• Aselsan developed a thermal tracking and targeting system ( FLIR ) called ASELFLIR.
• Most of the software is developed by Turkish companies under the direction of Aselsan.

ARH-129D

The manufacturer AgustaWestland has modernized the A129 CBT for the Italian army aviation at its own expense. A Rafael TOPLITE III tower with FLIR, target illumination laser and laser rangefinder was installed in the chin tower. In addition, the Israeli guided missile Rafael Spike was integrated. AgustaWestland is currently planning to upgrade two dozen machines.

User states

 Italy Aviazione dell'Esercito (Italian Army Aviators)

• 60 × A129 "Mangusta" / A129 CBT
  • Centro Addestrativo Aviazione dell'Esercito in Viterbo
  • 5 ° Reggimento dell'Aviazione dell'Esercito 'Rigel in Casarsa della Delizia
  • 7th Reggimento dell'Aviazione dell'Esercito 'Vega in Rimini-Miramare

 Turkey Turkish Army

• 60 orders, designation T129, manufactured under license in Turkey

Technical specifications

Crack drawing

Parameter	Data
crew	2
overall length	14.29 m
Hull length	12.27 m
Rotor diameter	11.90 m
height	3.30 m
Empty mass	2529 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	4600 kg
Top speed	275 km / h
Marching speed	240 km / h
Service ceiling	4725 m
Rate of climb	10.2 m / s
Range	approx. 700 km (3 hours in normal operation, 1.5 hours in combat)
Engines	two Rolls-Royce Gem 2-1004D with 559 kW (760 PS) each (in the export version A129 International with two LHTEC-T800 turbines with 927 kW (1260 PS) each).

Armament

A129

Armament up to 1500 kg at four external load stations under the two stub wings

Air-to-surface guided missiles (anti-tank guided missiles)

• 2 × guided missile starter boxes for each 4 × Raytheon BGM-71E "TOW2A" (Helitow) - wire-guided (SACLOS)
• 2 × guided missile starter boxes for 4 × EADS HOT 3 each - wire-guided (SACLOS)

Unguided air-to-surface missiles

• 4 × LAU-68D / A rocket tube launch containers for 7 × unguided FFAR air-to-ground Hydra rockets each ; Caliber 70 mm
• 4 × LAU-69D / A rocket tube launch containers for 19 × unguided FFAR air-to-ground hydra rockets each; Caliber 70 mm
• 4 × Harvard Interiors LAU-261 / A rocket tube launch containers for 19 × unguided FFAR air-to-ground hydra rockets each; Caliber 70 mm

External container

• 2 × MG containers FN Herstal ETNA TMP-5 each with 2 × 7.62 mm FN MAG 58P machine guns with 500 rounds of ammunition each
• 2 × MG containers FN-Herstal HMP-400LC with one 12.7 mm FN machine gun each with 400 rounds of ammunition
• 2 × disposable additional fuel tanks for 220 liters of kerosene each

A129 CBT / International / T129 ATAK

Pivoting installed armament in the turret Oto Melara TM-197B in the nose

• 1 × three-barreled 20 mm Gatling cannon General Dynamics Armament / Alenia-Breda M197 with 500 rounds of ammunition in two drum magazines

Armament up to 1500 kg at four external load stations under the two stub wings

Air-to-air guided missile

• 4 × ATAS (Air To Air Stinger) double missile starters for 2 × Raytheon AIM-92 "Stinger" RMP Block I each - self-targeting with infrared sensor for short distances
• 2 × guided missile launch rails LAU-7 / A for 1 × Raytheon AIM-9L "Sidewinder" each - self-targeting with infrared sensor for short distances
• 2 × double guided missile launchers for 2 × MBDA "Mistral II" (AATCP) each - self-targeting with infrared sensor for short distances

Air-to-surface guided missiles (anti-tank guided missiles)

• 4 × M299 guided missile suspensions for 4 × Boeing Corp / Martin Marietta AGM-114F / N "Hellfire" - laser-controlled

Unguided air-to-surface missiles

• 4 × SNIA BPD 81-HAL-12 MEDUSA rocket tube launch containers for 12 × unguided Hydra air-to-ground missiles each ; Caliber 81 mm
• 4 × Aerea HL-19-70 tubular launchers for 19 × unguided Hydra air-to-surface missiles; Caliber 70 mm

See also

• List of helicopter types

Web links

Commons : Agusta A129 Mangusta  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Detailed description at bw-flyer ( Memento from September 14, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
• http://www.army-technology.com/projects/agusta/ (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ International Herlad Tribune, - Italy's Agusta Aerospace wins Turkish attack helicopter contract, March 30, 2007
2. ↑ http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4551386  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Article from March 23, 2010 at defensenews.com  
3. ↑ http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/turkey-signs-for-more-t129-attack-helicopters-349497/