Agusta A129 Mangusta Attack Helicopter, Italian Military

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The Agusta A129 Mangusta (Mongoose) (AW129 manufactured by from June 2007) is an attack helicopterAgusta (part of AgustaWestland) of Italy. Agusta A129 Mangusta is the first attack helicopter to be designed and produced wholly in Western Europe. The TAI T-129 is a developed version of the AW129, and is now the responsibility of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).



The A129 Mangusta was developed to provide an anti-tank attack helicopter for the Italian Army. An export version, the A129 International, is a lower-cost helicopter with added firepower and upgraded avionics. The A129 Mangusta can be used in the anti-armour, armed reconnaissance, ground attack, escort, fire support and anti-aircraft roles. The A129 can also be equipped with 81 mm or 70 mm (2.75 in) unguided rockets and has a three-barrel 20 mm cannon in a turret mounted under its nose. The A129 is equipped with autonomous navigation and night vision systems in order to provide both day/night and all-weather combat capabilities.



Agusta A129 Mangusta Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: 2: pilot and weapon systems officer
• Length: 12.28 m (40 ft 3 in)
• Rotor diameter: 11.90 m (39 ft 1 in)
• Height: 3.35 m (11 ft 0 in)
• Disc area: 444.9 m² (4,789 ft²)
• Empty weight: 2,530 kg (5,575 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 4,600 kg (10,140 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce Gem 2-1004D (license built by Piaggio) turboshafts, 664 kW (890 shp) each
• Propellers: four blade rotor

Agusta A129 Mangusta Performance

• Maximum speed: 278 km/h (148 knots, 170 mph)
• Cruise speed: 229 km/h (135 knots, 155 mph)
• Range: 510 km (275 nm, 320 mi)
• Ferry range: 1,000 km (540 nm, 620 mi)
• Service ceiling: 4,725 m (15,500 ft)
• Rate of climb: 10.2 m/s (2,025 ft/min)

Agusta A129 Mangusta Armament

• Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) three-barrel gatling-type cannon (500 rounds) (only CBT version)
• Rockets: 4 pods with
  • 38× 81 mm (3.19 in) unguided rockets or
  • 76× 70 mm (2.75 in) unguided rockets or
  • 12.7 mm machine gun-pod
• Missiles:
  
  
  • 8× AGM-114 Hellfire or BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles
  • 4-8× AIM-92 Stinger or Mistral anti-aircraft missiles

A129 International

General characteristics

• Crew: 2: pilot and weapon systems officer
• Length: 12.62 m (41 ft 5 in)
• Rotor diameter: 11.90 m (39 ft 1 in)
• Height: 3.35 m (11 ft 0 in)
• Disc area: 444.9 m² (4,789 ft²)
• Empty weight: 2,530 kg (5,580 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 5,100 kg (11,245 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× LHTEC T800-LHT-800 turboshafts, 1,024 kW (1,373 shp) each
• Propellers: five blade rotor

Performance

• Maximum speed: 294 km/h (160 knots, 184 mph)
• Cruise speed: 269 km/h (145 knots, 167 mph)
• Range: 561 km (303 nm, 341 mi)
• Ferry range: 1,000 km (540 nm, 620 mi)
• Service ceiling: 6,096 m (20,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 13.97 m/s (2,750 ft/min)

Armament

• Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) three-barrel gatling-type cannon (500 rounds)
• Rockets: 4 pods with
  • 38× 81 mm (3.19 in) unguided rockets or
  • 76× 70 mm (2.75 in) unguided rockets or
  • 12.7 mm machine gun-pod
• Missiles:
  
  
  • 8× AGM-114 Hellfire, BGM-71 TOW, Hydra 70, Spike-ER or AIM-9 Sidewinder anti-tank missiles and Sura D/Snora.
  • 4-8× AIM-92 Stinger or Mistral anti-aircraft missiles