Leonardo, February 19, 2022 - Leonardo announced that successful weapon firing trials took place from the AW149 helicopter in Q4 2021 in an undisclosed European country,
The aircraft conducted rocket firing trials, both unguided and laser-guided.
The flight trials assessed:
- Safe separation of laser guided rockets from the hover and forward flight
- Refinement of the unguided rocket cockpit firing solution symbology to further aid accuracy
- Impact on EO and NVG performance during night ripple firings of unguided rockets
The AW149 multi-role helicopter is Leonardo’s latest-generation battlefield platform, reconfigurable for a wide range of demanding missions in the most severe operational environments.
The AW149 offers advanced platform and system technologies, equipment and weapons; coupled with unparalleled safety and performance, and high levels of survivability and crashworthiness. The aircraft provides military customers with a highly effective, survivable and cost-effective capability.
An open systems architecture enables the rapid and low-cost integration of new equipment to meet changing military requirements.
With an active helicopter production line Leonardo will be able to deliver AW149 helicopters by the UK’s required in-service date of 2025.
The aircraft conducted rocket firing trials, both unguided and laser-guided.
The flight trials assessed:
- Safe separation of laser guided rockets from the hover and forward flight
- Refinement of the unguided rocket cockpit firing solution symbology to further aid accuracy
- Impact on EO and NVG performance during night ripple firings of unguided rockets
The AW149 multi-role helicopter is Leonardo’s latest-generation battlefield platform, reconfigurable for a wide range of demanding missions in the most severe operational environments.
The AW149 offers advanced platform and system technologies, equipment and weapons; coupled with unparalleled safety and performance, and high levels of survivability and crashworthiness. The aircraft provides military customers with a highly effective, survivable and cost-effective capability.
An open systems architecture enables the rapid and low-cost integration of new equipment to meet changing military requirements.
With an active helicopter production line Leonardo will be able to deliver AW149 helicopters by the UK’s required in-service date of 2025.
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| “With an active helicopter production line Leonardo will be able to deliver AW149 helicopters by the UK’s required in-service date of 2025.” The ‘active’ production line is in Italy! |
| What defeats me is the oft quoted maxim that the 149 is mature and was an originally design military heli. If so, why has it taken so so so many years for it to get to initial weapons trials? To borrow the Bard: “Something is afoot in the state of Leonardo” - perhaps it’s about time for another company name change to hide the ineptitude!!! |
| Ha ha - That is a hell of a trial! Didn’t we fire them off of Gazelles almost 50 years ago? A lick of paint and some bolt on fire and forget (and it goes anywhere)!! ancient rocket system does not make a military helicopter - bring on the Blackhawk. UK government. Everybody knows what machine the military want and it isn’t made anywhere near Yeovil. |
| I ask you to imagine today as Putin and his massed armour enter the Ukraine having to strap you backside to this civilian machine whose only militarisation consists of a lick of black paint and a 50 year old sneb rocket system which, I can say from experience, can go anywhere with the exception of where they are aimed! Or would I prefer strapping myself into a battle proven military designed Blackhawk which you can just about bolt anything too and it just keeps performing. For goodness sake whomever if anybody is reading this and has anything at all to do with procurement for our military, there is only one choice to replace the Puma fleet - and that is the Blackhawk and please give it to the Army. I understand the latest mode is now flying with the same engines that work on our already procured AH64E, imagine 2 absolutely awesome machines alongside one another using the same engines, another massive saving to our already stretched defence budget. AW149/89 they do not even come close to the support our boys and girls need. |
See also |
AW149 NMH in
AgustaWestland UK 
