New helicopter for the Federal Army: AW196M

After the Austrian Federal Army Alouette has almost reached museum quality, there is now a new procurement underway, which has not yet been confirmed by the Ministry. The winner is Leonardo from Italy with the Augusta Westland AW169M, which is also used by the Italian army. Competitor Bell from the USA seems to have been flown with its Bell 429, as the American ITAR regulations are not attractive for Europeans, Airbus wanted to land with the H145 used in Germany, which is also used in Germany. However, Austria still has a lingering conflict with Airbus over the Eurofighter procurement, where it is not clear if everything went smoothly. Criticism is also voiced about the current helicopter purchase of 300 million euros – the largest procurement for the Federal Army since the Eurofighter – also: The Italian candidate is a third more expensive in operation than its competitors. HERE you can find the info sheet for the AW196M.

LEONARDO on the web: www.leonardocompany.com

The FEDERAL ARMY online: www.bundesheer.at