- Yes
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Description: Back in 1978, the Italian company Agusta was developing a new attack helicopter after a request from the Italian army. The company initially took the A109 and tried to modify it, but it turned out that the platform was not able to offer the performance required, so Agusta started to design a completely new platform. The A129 became the first dedicated attack helicopter in Europe. The first prototype flew for the first time on September 15, 1983. All four remaining prototypes were completed between 1983 and 1986, with the last one flying for the first time in March 1986. The first order featured a total of 66 units, but later it was reduced to 60. Due to some delays, the first five units became operational only in 1990. The A129 saw its first war in 1992 in Somalia during a UN special operation where they performed mainly reconnaissance armed with BGM 71 TOW anti-tank missiles and Medusa 81 mm tanks and armor rifles. The helicopter performed extremely well in that operation, but one problem became clear: the lack of a turret to destroy small targets with precision and low cost (since launching a TOW was surely effective against even small targets, but the missiles cost a lot more). To increase the performance of the A129, the Italian army took some parts from the A129 international, such as the 20 mm turret and the five-blade rotor. Other improvements were more modern avionics and the capability to carry air-to-air missiles. All the Mangustas were upgraded to the CBT standard between 2001 and 2008. From 2004 to 2005, they participated in the second Gulf War in Iraq in the operation “Antica Babilonia.” They performed various recon and anti-terrorism missions. One year later, the A129 started to operate in Afghanistan. In 2014, the 5th regiment of the AVES (Aviazione dell’Esercito) received the first upgraded A129D Delta Mangusta. The upgrade included much modern avionics, a new system, new weapons, and the F&F anty tank missile SPIKE ER. For guided spike missiles, the Delta was fitted with the Rafael TOP LITE optic, which was able to offer a much better guide to the missile, but it wasn’t able to use TOW anymore since it wasn’t capable of guiding it. The TOP LITE has an operative range of 20 km/h, ,the SPIKE ER has a range of 8 km and the SPIKE ER II has a range of 16 km. In 2014, 32 CBT were upgraded to the Delta variant. As said before, the helicopter was immediately deployed in Afghanistan, and it remained here to fight against the Taliban until 2021, when the ISAF troops left the country. Nowadays, there are 32 A129 D operative and 16 A129 CBT for training.
Why it should be in the game: The A129 Delta will naturally result the top tier for the Italian heli TT right now. It’s one of the word most advanced and powerful attack heli and for sure the best light attack heli of the world and in game it will be a fantastic addition for Italy.
Specifications:
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Main rotor diameter: 11.9 meters (39 feet)
Tail rotor diameter: 2.24 meters (7 feet 4 inches)
Fuselage length: 12.275 meters (40 feet 3 inches)
Footprint length: 14.29 meters (46 feet 11 inches)
Overall height: 3.35 meters (11 feet )
Empty weight: 2,520 kilograms (5,575 pounds)
MTO weight: 4,100 kilograms (9,040 pounds)
Max speed: 295 km/h
Hover ceiling (in ground effect): 3,705 meters (12,300 feet)
Combat radius: 100 kilometers (62 MI / 54 NMI)
Endurance: 3 hours
Engines, 2x Rolls-Roice Gem 2 MK1004D Turboshaft
Weapons
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1x 20 mm TB-197 Cannon
8x SPIKE ER
8x SPIKE ER II
8x AIM92 Stinger
8x MBDA Mistral
Sources
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SI VIS PACEM, PARA BELLUM: Dall’AH-129, al T-129 ATAK fino all’AH-249: l’evoluzione della specie “MANGUSTA”
I Mangusta del “Rigel” lanciano i missili Spike – Analisi Difesa
AW-129 Mangusta - Militarypedia
Elicottero da esplorazione e scorta A 129 EES - Esercito Italiano
Agusta A129 Mangusta - Wikipedia
Afghanistan: i nuovi Mangusta AW129 "Delta" - Difesa Online
https://www.rafael.co.il/spike-for-helicopters/
https://www.anae.it/a-129-mangusta-13-500-ore-di-volo-in-afghanistan/
Afghanistan: battesimo dell'aria per i nuovi Mangusta ultra-hitech | Wired Italia
AgustaWestland AW129 - Wikipedia
https://www.rafael.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/SPIKE-ER2-Brochure.pdf
Pictures
