Breda Nardi NH500

Il_Signor_Regio · December 1, 2024, 2:52pm

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Description: The Breda Nardi NH500 is the Italian under license version of the very popular American Hughes H500. In 1969, the Italian company Breda Nardi requested from the American company Hughes the right to produce and modify locally the very well-known H500, the little Bird. The initial plan was to try to market the heli inside the various Italian customers in order to replace older helicopters of the Agusta Bell 47 series (AB47G and J). The first operator was the Guardia di Finanza, who ordered a total of 70 units, with the first three units being delivered in 1973. Nearly a decade later, in 1987, the Italian Air Force committed an order for 52 units aimed to replace aging helicopters like the AB47G. They were mainly intended for fulfilling training roles with other secondary roles such as scouting and lightly armed reconnaissance. After the helicopter started to be delivered from 1990, Breda Nardi started testing an antitank configuration for the NH500, which was basically identical to the American one. The upgrades consisted of a Hughes 65 optic and a pair of I-TOW/TOW2 guided anti-tank missiles. The company proposed this version to many operators, including the Italian Air Force, as a cheaper alternative to attack helicopters. The configuration was considered by the Italian Armed Forces, but it is unclear if it was ever tested. Regardless, in the end this configuration and others marketed and tested by the company in these years (like the ASW one) were never serially produced due to the lack of interest from any possible operator, as the American little bird attack version was already widely exported. In the Italian Air Force service, despite being mainly used as a trainer, it was employed in 1999 in the Allied Arbour operation in ex-Yugoslavia and one year later in the UNMEE (United Nations Mission in Eritrea) operation, where it performed mainly reconnaissance and light transport missions. It was also painted with the widely used UN white camo during this operation.