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Units operating the A129 CBT combat helicopter spearhead Italy’s
army aviation. Soon, the fleet willreceive a major weapons and
engine upgrade, following a recent modification programme
thatconverted the Mangusta from its anti-tank role to a true combat
platform.
Text and photos: Emiel Sloot
On 15 September 1983, the first of five Agusta A129Mangusta
prototypes went airborne, andsubsequently the Italian army ordered
60 of theseanti-tank helicopters. It also briefly stood model
forthe Tonal, a multinational project involving theNetherlands,
United Kingdom, Spain and Italy,however this programme was
cancelled in 1990.The A129 became operational with the 49°
GruppoSquadroni ‘Capricorno’ in 1992, a squadronreporting to the 5°
Reggimento Aviazionedell’Esercito ‘Rigel’. This regiment,
established in1976, is based at Casarsa della Delizia. Beside
the49° Gruppo, the 27° Gruppo Squadroni ‘Mercurio’forms part of
this regiment. Both gruppi operatethree flights each of A129s,
alongside a flight ofA109 (49° Gruppo) and AB205 (27°
Gruppo)observation and transport helicopters, respectively.The
AB205 will however soon be replaced by theNH90 TTH. The A129 is
also operated by 48°Gruppo Squadroni ‘Pavone’ of the 7°
ReggimentoAVES ‘Vega’ based at Rimini-Miramare. Both
regiments fall under the responsibility of the BrigataAeromobile
(airmobile brigade) ‘Friuli’,headquartered in Bologna. Both
regiments canoperate either independently, or in cooperation
withthe 66° Reggimento Fanteria (infantry regiment)‘Trieste’ that
is also controlled by the ‘Friuli’ brigade.
First modernisation of the fleetThe original Mangusta was
designed just before theend of the Cold War as a dedicated
anti-tankhelicopter, armed with Hughes TOW missiles. Inaddition, it
could be fitted with rocket and gun podsof various calibres.
Although 60 were ordered, only45 were initially taken on charge
until 1992, asmeanwhile the Cold War had ended. However, in1999,
the last 15 were eventually obtained as well,and they entered
service from 2003 as A129 CBT(CBT for Combattimento), being a new
variant. Acontract was signed in 2001 to modify the earlymodel to
this version. During the 1990s, Agusta hadtried to sell the A129
International - an improved
New upgrade for Italy’s
A129
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version of the Mangusta – abroad, but withoutsuccess.
Nevertheless, most improvements werefinally incorporated into the
A129 CBT, that wasdesigned as a versatile and efficient
combathelicopter serving far more roles than anti-armouronly.The
two Rolls-Royce Gem 2 Mk 1004D powerplants, licence-built in Italy,
were retained as werethe BGM-71E TOW 2A missiles of which eight
canbe fitted. Also the rocket pods, either 70-mm (up to76 rockets)
or 81-mm (up to 38 rockets), were keptas weapon options. New
features are the moveableAlenia TM197B 20-mm cannon, with up to
300rounds; a five-blade composite rotor; composite tailrotor; and
the possibility to carry Stinger air-to-airmissiles. The A129 CBT
is also certified to carryHellfire missiles, however the Italian
army does nothave these in its inventory.
Both pilot and gunner are seated on protectivecrash-worthy
seats, and are sideways protected bykevlar plates. Most of the
helicopter can resistenemy fire up to 12.7-mm, while critical parts
suchas engine bays and main rotor mast can withstandeven 23-mm
calibre rounds. Following a crash, thecrew emergency egress system
blows away thecockpit windows, allowing the crew to quickly exitthe
helicopter.
More new systems insideLike all modern helicopters, the A129 CBT
is pilotedby hands-on-collective-and-stick (HOCAS) controls.The
Integrated Management System (IMS) consistsof modern avionics such
as Have Quick II securespeech radios, a mode 4 IFF transponder and
multi-function displays in both cockpits. Beside these, theIMS
consists of visionics such as the IntegratedHelmet Display and
Sight System (IHDASS). Withthis, all relevant flight and combat
data are projectedon the visors, alongside the infrared image
obtainedfrom the nose-mounted FLIR sensor that is slaved tothe
helmet in view of direction, also known as theHelicopter Infrared
Navigation System. The cannoncan be slaved simultaneously. Both
cockpits arecompatible to night-vision-goggles. Navigation ismainly
based on GPS and the radar altimeter. Thehelicopter has an
automatic hover capability thatenables to maintain a preset
position and altitudewith high precision. The latest modification
to theA129 CBT was the addition of a self-integratedprotection
system (locally designated SIAP). Aroundthe airframe, several radar
and missile approachwarning sensors are fitted while two
ModularExpendable Block (MEB) can be attachedcontaining 30 chaff
and 30 flares. The present A129CBT version is locally designated
G15.With a fuselage width of only 94 cm, the radarsignature is
quite low. In fact, A129 is smaller thanan AH-1, AH-64, Tigre or
Rooivalk. Most importanttasks of the A129 CBT are fire support to
groundtroops, armed reconnaissance and escort, strikedeep into
enemy airspace, and precision strikes. Italso has a limited
Suppression of Enemy AirDefences (SEAD) possibility, as it is
equipped withEW systems to detect and record enemy radaremissions
and sites.
Crew trainingThe 5° Reggimento AVES is responsible for
trainingnew A129 crews. Basic helicopter flying training fornew
army pilots is done at the Centro AddestrativoAviazione
dell’Esercito at Viterbo near Rome, mainlyflying the AB206. Before
conversion to the A129, thecrew must have had some flying
experience onanother operational type with the army aviation suchas
the AB205. The conversion course starts with a5-week ground school,
followed by 43 to 60 actualflying hours. Beside basic control of
the helicopter, anumber of operational aspects are trained such
asnap-of-the-earth flying, weapons training and nightflight with
and without night vision systems.Furthermore, the infrared system
has to bemastered in view of both navigation and targetacquisition.
At Viterbo, two A129 combat simulatorsare located that can be
linked with other NATOcombat helicopter flight simulators, enabling
thetraining of complex exercise scenarios. The 5°Reggimento
delivers combat-ready crew for all
Front (above) and rear (below) cockpit of the A129 CBT
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operational A129 squadrons. Crews are trained forboth cockpit
positions (pilot and gunner), maximisingflexibility.Near Casarsa
della Delizia, five exercise areas arelocated, ranging from the
Adriatic Sea to thelowlands surrounding the base and the Alps north
ofthe base. Casarsa is located closely to Aviano andRivolto air
bases, andoperations have to becoordinated with the air
trafficcontrol centres of these bases.For live-firing exercises,
theregiment annually moves toSardinia for a week, where ashooting
range is situated.During these exercises, newcrews qualify for
weaponstraining while others canrefresh their proficiency in
thisfield.
International operationsFrom the very start, Mangustasquadrons
have been involvedin a number of internationaloperations. The type
had justbeen declared operationalwhen three A129s were sentto
Somalia betweenDecember 1992 and April1994, in support of UN
operation Restore Hope. In1995, four A129 returned to that area to
cover theevacuation of UN troops. This - and so far the only -time,
the helicopters were sea-based, operatingamongst others from the
Garibaldi aircraft carrier. In1997, six A129s flew missions from
Rinas, Albaniain support of the Multinational Protection Force
leadby Italy. More operations over the Balkan followed,such as over
Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1998, and overKosovo between May 1999 and
February 2000. Atemporary detachment was set up in Macedoniaduring
1999 for armed escort flights around theextraction of international
observers in OperationJoint Guarantor. The A129 CBT version
deployedfor the first time in 2005 and 2006, when some werebased at
Tallil, Iraq in Operation Antica Babilonica.
ISAFAs of 2007, the A129 CBT has been deployed toAfghanistan in
support of ISAF. The Italiandetachment is allocated to Regional
Command Westalongside Spanish and US units, and covers fourwestern
Afghan provinces. The first A129 tour lastedfor 158 days from June
till November 2007.Following a brief start-up period at Kabul,
thedetachment moved to Herat, that became the mainoperating base.
Simultaneously, a forward operatingbase was established in Farah,
south of Herat. Thepresent A129 detachment is mainly organised by
the
49° Gruppo. Also based here are some CH-47CChinooks of the 1°
Reggimento AVES ‘Antares’ fromViterbo. The A129s form the combat
element anddeliver close air support, armed escort for theChinooks,
and armed reconnaissance andobservation.Standard configuration for
the A129 CBT in ISAF is
a load of two TOW missiles and 200 rounds for the20-mm cannon,
allowing a range of 75 nm.The present detachment consists of six
A129 CBTsof which two are on a 24-hour standby. Thehelicopters are
flown in and out of Afghanistan byeither civil Antonov 124s or
C-130J Hercules aircraftof the Italian air force. For on-site
maintenance, thedetachment has a rubber hangar available that
isfully air-conditioned.A special training programme has been
developedby 5° Reggimento for crews which are sent abroadon
international operations. In view of ISAF, an 8-week training
programme has to be followed,consisting of 25 training flights with
special focus onvarious operational aspects such as
additionalweapons training, mountain flying and expandingleadership
and crew coordination skills.
MaintenanceRoutine inspections following 25, 50 and 100
flyinghours are mainly taken care of by the maintenancedepartments
of the two operational regiments. Themore extensive 300 flying
hours inspections aredone by one of the larger maintenance centres
ofthe AVES, located in Bergamo and Viterbo. Specificmodifications
to the helicopter are generally done atfactory level with
AgustaWestland. For urgentoperational matters, the operational
squadrons canalways contact the factory directly for
issuesrequiring an instant solution.
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A129 International’s second lifeIn due time, a new modification
programme for thefleet will be started up in two phases. First, the
TOWmissile system will be replaced by the Rafael Spike-ER, while
the visionics will be expanded with a newOptical Telescopic System,
compatible with the newmissile. Thereafter, the current engines
will bereplaced by more powerful LHTEC CTS800
turboshafts. With these new power plants, theperformance in
hot-and-high conditions willsignificantly improve, although it must
be stated thatdue to the relatively low weight of the helicopter,
thishas not posed severe restrictions in the past.Basically, the
A129 CBT will eventually be modifiedto A129 International standard.
Although markedwithout success in the 1990s, this variant
finallydrew attention abroad, as Turkey bought 51 T129ATAK
helicopters with an option for 40 more. Thesewill be built by TUSAS
in Turkey, and featureseveral indigenous on-board systems such
asavionics which are currently being developed. Oneof the new
systems will be a mast-mounted radarsimilar to the Apache Longbow,
while the T129 willbe able to carry twelve Roketsan UMTAS missiles,
alocally built version of the Hellfire II.With this first export
success, the A129 might getinto the picture of other military
operators looking fora new combat helicopter, and enter
competitionsalongside the Tigre and Apache. Anyway, the Italianarmy
is quite happy with the helicopter, and is nowlooking forward to
the re-engined version that willfurther strengthen their combat
capabilities. ■
This article has been published in Onze Luchtmacht (NL – Vol.61
No.3) and J-Wings (Japan – No.127).
© 2008