Agusta A129 Mangusta

A129/AW129 Mangusta T129
Agusta A129 Mangusta at Air 04, Payerne, Switzerland
Type	Attack helicopter
Manufacturer	AgustaWestland Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI)
Maiden flight	15 September 1983
Status	Active service
Primary users	Italian Army Turkish Army
Produced	1980s-present
Number built	60
Unit cost	US$ 43 million

The Agusta A129 Mangusta (Mongoose) (AW129 from June 2007) is an attack helicopter manufactured by Agusta (part of AgustaWestland) of Italy. An attack helicopter, also known as a Helicopter Gunship, is a Military helicopter armed for attacking targets on the ground An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts AgustaWestland is a Helicopter design and manufacturing company based in Italy and the United Kingdom. Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc The maiden flight of an Aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord Events 668 - Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II is assassinated in his bath at Syracuse Italy. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) The Italian Army (Esercito Italiano is the ground defense force of the Military of Italy. The Turkish Army ( Turkish: Türk Kara Kuvvetleri) is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. A mongoose (plural mongooses) is a member of the family Herpestidae (although also used for some members of Eupleridae) a family of small History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. Augusta Agusta (now part of AgustaWestland) is an Italian Helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland is a Helicopter design and manufacturing company based in Italy and the United Kingdom. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest It is the first attack helicopter to be designed and produced wholly in Western Europe. A developed version, the T129, will be produced in Turkey by TAI for the Turkish Army. Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc The Turkish Army ( Turkish: Türk Kara Kuvvetleri) is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.

1 Development
- 1.1 T129 ATAK
2 Operational history
3 Variants
- 3.1 Production models
- 3.2 Proposed models
4 Operators
5 Specifications (A129 )
- 5.1 A129 International
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Development

The A129 Mangusta was developed to provide an anti-tank attack helicopter for the Italian Army. The Italian Armed forces are under the command of the Italian Supreme Defense Council presided over by the President of the Italian Republic. An export version, the A129 International, is a lower-cost helicopter with added firepower and upgraded avionics.

Design of the A129 began in 1978. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) The first of five Mangusta prototypes performed its initial official flight on 15 September 1983, and the fifth prototype first flew in March 1986. Events 668 - Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II is assassinated in his bath at Syracuse Italy. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar)

The A129 can be used in the anti-armour, armed reconnaissance, ground attack, escort, fire support and anti-aircraft roles.

In the anti-armour role, the helicopter can carry either Hellfire, TOW or Spike-ER missiles, or a mixture of them. The AGM-114 Hellfire is a multi-platform multi-target United States modular Missile system The BGM-71 TOW is a US Anti-tank guided missile. TOW Tube-launched Optically-tracked Wire-to-command-Link guided Missile Set Spike is a third generation Anti-tank guided missile developed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd 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.

For the anti-aircraft role, Stinger or Mistral missiles can be carried. The FIM-92 Stinger is a personal portable Infrared homing Surface-to-air missile developed in the United States and used by all the U Mistral is an Infrared homing Surface-to-air missile manufactured by the European multinational company MBDA missile systems (formerly by

The A129 is equipped with autonomous navigation and night vision systems in order to provide both day/night and all-weather combat capabilities.

In 1986, the governments of Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding to investigate an improved version of the A129, called the Joint European Helicopter Tonal. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located ("Tonal" was derived from the name of an Aztec deity. ) The Tonal was to have more powerful engines, a new rotor system, retractable landing gear, improved sensors and more powerful armament. However, the project collapsed in 1990 when Britain and the Netherlands decided to obtain the AH-64 Apache instead. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Spain has since acquired the Eurocopter Tiger. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

The new 15-passenger AgustaWestland AW139 utility helicopter is designed around the transmission of the A129. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

In the Australian Army's AIR 87 project to acquire Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters, the Agusta A129, the AH-64 Apache, and the Eurocopter Tiger were short-listed from the six original tenders. In December of 2001 it was announced that the contract was awarded to the Eurocopter Tiger. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout ^[1]

T129 ATAK

T129 views

Turkey announced on 30 March 2007 that it has decided to negotiate with AgustaWestland to purchase 51 (+40 optional) A129 helicopters. Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[2]^[3]^[4] Based on the A129 International, they will be assembled in Turkey by TAI as the T129. Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc The deal is reported to be worth $3 Billion. ^[5] The final contract was signed on September 7, 2007. ^[6] Under the agreement, TAI will have intellectual property rights of the new configuration of the helicopter, sole sourcing rights in the world for the fuselage, including Final Assembly and Flight Operations, and sales rights for the world excluding Italy and England.

The T129 has several key improvements over the original A129 in line with the requirements of the Turkish Army:^[7]

The T129 will carry 12 Roketsan developed UMTAS anti-tank missiles (Turkish indigenous development similar to Hellfire II) ^[8];
More powerful LHTEC T800 (CTS800-4)page 7 engines have increased the maximum hovering altitude by 20%;
Two launchers for Stinger AA missiles (a total of 4 can be carried) have been added to the exterior sides of the pylons;
Mast radar, similar to that used in the Apache Longbow. The Turkish Army ( Turkish: Türk Kara Kuvvetleri) is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The AGM-114 Hellfire is a multi-platform multi-target United States modular Missile system WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The AIM-92 Stinger or ATAS ( A ir T o A ir S tinger or ATAL is an Air-to-air missile developed from the shoulder-launched WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The mast radar for TUC-1 will be based on IAI/ELTA's (Israel) surveillance and targeting radar with SAR and ISAR capability. The radar can identify land and sea targets from at least 30 kilometres. The Mast Radar for TUC-2 will be an indegenous development. On 16 July 2007, Tubitak (Turkish State Research Organization), METEKSAN Savunma Sanayii A. Ş and Bilkent University formed a consorsium for the development of an advanced millimetre wave radar, similar to the Longbow and the IAI/ELTA radars. It is planned that the radar will enter service in mid-2009. ^[9]

According to Savunma ve Havacılık (Defence and Aerospace) magazine, the 51 T-129 attack helicopters will be assigned as follows:^[10]

One helicopter will be kept by the Turkish Ministry of Defense and will be used as a test-bed for systems development.

The remaining 50 helicopters will be delivered to the Turkish Army. 40 more T-129 helicopters (optional) will be produced if necessary.

The 50 T-129 helicopters will be in two different configurations, TUC-1 and TUC-2 (TUC: Turkish Configuration. )

The first 30 out of 50 will be TUC-1, while the following 20 will be TUC-2.

T-129 TUC-1 (the first 30 units) will have:
- Indigenous mission computer
- Indigenous EW and countermeasures
- Aselsan AselFLIR-300
- Foreign helmet-mounted cueing system (either Elbit or Thales)
- Foreign missile (either Hellfire II or Spike ER)

T-129 TUC-2 (the following 20 units) will have:
- Indigenous mission computer
- Indigenous EW and countermeasures
- Aselsan AselFLIR-300
- Aselsan AVCI helmet-mounted cueing system
- Roketsan UMTAS missile

Operational history

The Italian Army is currently (2007) the sole A129 operator and is equipped with 45 A129 Mangusta versions and has ordered another 15 A129 International versions. ASELSAN was founded by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation at the end of 1975 to produce tactical military radios and defense electronic systems for the Turkish Army Elbit Systems Ltd is one of Israel 's largest defense electronics manufacturers and integrators Thales of Miletus According to Bertrand Russell, "Philosophy begins with Thales The AGM-114 Hellfire is a multi-platform multi-target United States modular Missile system Spike is a third generation Anti-tank guided missile developed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd ASELSAN was founded by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation at the end of 1975 to produce tactical military radios and defense electronic systems for the Turkish Army ASELSAN was founded by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation at the end of 1975 to produce tactical military radios and defense electronic systems for the Turkish Army Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Agusta A129 CBT (combat configuration) version in Italian service is based on the International, but retains the original Gem engines (see above). The first A129CBTs were delivered in October 2002. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. In January 2002, AgustaWestland was awarded a contract to upgrade the first 45 A129 Mangusta versions to the multi-role Agusta A129 CBT standard. AgustaWestland is a Helicopter design and manufacturing company based in Italy and the United Kingdom.

In Italian service, the Mangusta has successfully deployed with UN missions to former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Somalia and Angola. The Republic of Macedonia (Република Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known Angola, officially the Republic of Angola (República de Angola Pronounced ʁɛˈpublikɐ dɨ ɐ̃ˈgɔlɐ Repubilika ya Ngola is a country in south-central Three helicopters were deployed in Iraq before the Italian expedition's withdrawal. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Also, some are now being shipped to Afghanistan, to reinforce the Italian Army there, which has only infantry units without Italian air support.

Variants

Agusta A129 Mangusta

Production models

A129 Mangusta: Original production version, powered by two Rolls-Royce Gem 2 turboshafts.
A129 International: Upgraded version with five-bladed rotor, nose turret, support for Hellfire and Stinger missiles, advanced avionics equipment and two LHTEC T800 turboshafts. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
A129 CBT(ComBaT): Upgraded version for the Italian army that incorporates the same advances as the A129 International version, but retains the original Gem turboshaft engines (although an uprated transmission system is fitted). It is reported that the cockpit layout is simpler than that of the A129 International.
T129: Turkish attack helicopter based on the A129 International; will be assembled in Turkey by TAI.

Proposed models

A129 LBH: A multipurpose assault helicopter version with a structure completely different from the standard A129s, having space for carrying eight soldiers in addition to the two crew. (The abbreviation LBH stands for Light Battlefield Helicopter. )
A129 Multi-Role Proposed version, not built.
A129 Scout: Proposed reconnaissance version, not built.
A129 Shipboard: Proposed naval version, not built.
A129 Tonal: Proposed derivitive for Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and United Kingdom, with more powerful engines, a new rotor system, retractable landing gear, improved sensors, and more powerful armament. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Cancelled in 1990. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar)

Operators

Italy

Italian Army - currently operates 60 A129s

Turkey

Turkish Army - a total of 51 (+40 optional) to be produced in Turkey

Specifications (A129 )

Data from Augusta Westland A129 Technical Data^[11]

General characteristics

Crew: 2: pilot and weapon systems officer
Length: 12. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Italian Army (Esercito Italiano is the ground defense force of the Military of Italy. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The Turkish Army ( Turkish: Türk Kara Kuvvetleri) is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. 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

Performance

Maximum speed: 278 km/h (148 knots, mph)
Cruise speed: 229 km/h (135 knots, 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. The Maximum Takeoff Weight or Maximum Takeoff Mass of an Aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot of the aircraft is allowed to attempt to take off A turboshaft engine is a form of Gas turbine which is optimized to produce Shaft power, rather than Jet thrust. In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such The maximal total range is the distance an Aircraft can fly between Takeoff and Landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft or cross-country For Aircraft, ferry range means the maximum range the aircraft can fly In Aeronautics, a ceiling is the maximum Density altitude an aircraft can reach under a set of conditions In Aerodynamics, the rate of climb RoC is the speed at which an Aircraft increases its Altitude. 2 m/s (2,025 ft/min)

Armament

Guns: 1× 20 mm (0. The 20 mm caliber is a specific size of Cannon or Autocannon ammunition commonly the smallest caliber which is unambiguously a cannon (or more commonly today autocannon 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