View source for Engineering:Agusta A129 Mangusta

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{|{{Infobox aircraft begin
 |name= A129 Mangusta
 |image= File:20150506052017!Agusta A129A Mangusta, Italy - Army (cropped).jpg
 |caption= The Agusta A129 Mangusta over Lugo, Emilia-Romagna
}}{{Infobox aircraft type
 |type= [[Engineering:Attack helicopter|Attack helicopter]]
 |manufacturer= Agusta <br>AgustaWestland<br>Leonardo-Finmeccanica
 |national origin= Italy
 |designer=
 |first flight= 11 September 1983<ref name=Donald_A129/><ref name=Frawley_A129/>
 |introduced=
 |retired=
 |status= In service
 |primary user= Italian Army
 |more users=  
 |produced= 1983–present
 |number built= 60
 |unit cost=
 |developed from= 
 |variants with their own articles= TAI/AgustaWestland T129
}}
|}

The '''Agusta A129 Mangusta''' ({{lang-en|Mongoose}}) is an [[Engineering:Attack helicopter|attack helicopter]] originally designed and produced by Italian company Agusta. It has the distinction of being the first attack helicopter to be designed and produced wholly in Europe.<ref name ="craw 18"/> It has continued to be developed by AgustaWestland, the successor company to Agusta. The A129 has undergone several combat deployments since entering service with the Italian Army in the 1990s.

A derivative of the A129, the TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK, is being developed by [[Company:Turkish Aerospace Industries|Turkish Aerospace Industries]] (TAI) in cooperation with AgustaWestland. TAI will produce the T129 for the Turkish Army and potentially export customers.

==Development==

===Origins===
In 1972, the Italian Army began forming a requirement for a light observation and anti-tank helicopter; around the same time, the West German military had identified a similar need. The two nations' requirements led to a joint project being initiated between the Italian company Agusta and West German company MBB; however, the joint effort was soon dissolved following preliminary work. Agusta had initially studied the development of a combat-orientated derivative of their existing A109 helicopter, however they decided to proceed with the development of a more ambitious helicopter design.<ref name=Donald_A129>Donald, David, ed. "Agusta A 129 Mangusta". ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. Barnes & Noble Books, 1997. {{ISBN|0-7607-0592-5}}.</ref> In 1978, Agusta formally began the design process on what would become the A129.<ref name=Frawley_A129>Frawley, Gerald. "AgustaWestland A129 Mangusta". ''The International Directory of Military Aircraft, 2002/2003''. Aerospace Publications, 2002. {{ISBN|1-875671-55-2}}.</ref>

On 11 September 1983, the first of five A129 prototypes made the type's [[Engineering:Maiden flight|maiden flight]]; the fifth prototype would first fly in March 1986. Around the same time, the Italian Army placed an order for a total of 60 A129s.<ref name=Donald_A129/> According to defence publication Jane's Information Group, by 1985, the A129 was considered to be a comparable attack helicopter to the American-built McDonnell Douglas AH-64 Apache, and showed potential on the export market.<ref name = "tay 86"/>

===Export market===
During the 1980s, Agusta sought to partner with Westland Helicopters to develop a common light attack helicopter, other prospective manufacturing participants in the joint initiative included Fokker and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA.<ref name = "Brzoska 26">Brzoska 1992, p. 26.</ref> 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, alternatively called the Joint European Helicopter ''[[Unsolved:Tonal (mythology)|Tonal]]'' or ''Light Attack Helicopter'' (LAH). By 1988, feasibility studies for four different options had been conducted for the LAH, these would have between 80 per cent and 20 per cent growth over the initial A129; both single-engine and twin-engine configurations were examined using various new powerplants, as well as a new rotor system, retractable landing gear, improved sensors and more powerful armament.<ref>[https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1988/1988%20-%202704.html "LAH cost options defined."] ''Flight International'', 24 September 1988. p. 2.</ref> However, the LHA project collapsed in 1990 following Britain and the Netherlands independently deciding to withdrawal from the program and eventually procure the AH-64 Apache instead.<ref name = "Brzoska 26"/>

[[File:Agusta A129CBT Mangusta, Italy - Army JP7122665.jpg|thumb|left|An A129 in flight, with personnel riding on the landing gear]]
Agusta proceeded to develop the A129 International, or A129I, an upgraded version of the A129 for export customers. The A129I featured a five-bladed main rotor (early production aircraft employed a four-bladed main rotor), a pair of LHTEC T800 engines (replacing the [[Engineering:Rolls-Royce Gem|Rolls-Royce Gem]] engines) and an upgraded transmission; the A129I also had new weapons and electronic warfare systems. In 1998, the Italian Army had decided to upgrade a portion of their A129 fleet with many of the A129I's systems, the first of the remanufactured helicopters was delivered in 2002.<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2002/2002%20-%203216.html "Italian army receives upgraded Mangusta attack helicopters."] ''Flight International'', 11 November 2002.</ref><ref name = "turkey lands">[http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/turkey-shortlists-2-attack-helicopters-updated-02397/ "Turkey Finally Lands Its Attack Helicopters."] Defense Industry Daily, 19 February 2014.</ref> In September 2007, the A129I was formally redesignated as the ''AW129''.<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1996/1996%20-%201073.html "Rising Fortunes."] ''Flight International'', 4 May 1996. p. 33.</ref>

During the Australian Army's AIR 87 project to procure a new Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter fleet, the Agusta A129 was one of the contenders; it was one of the three attack helicopters, alongside the AH-64 Apache and the Eurocopter Tiger, to be short-listed out of the six tenders submitted. In December 2001, Australia announced its selection of the Eurocopter Tiger as the winning bid.<ref>[http://www.defence.gov.au/dmo/asd/air87/main.cfm Australian Department of Defence, DMO AIR 87 - Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters Project] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608082937/http://www.defence.gov.au/dmo/asd/air87/main.cfm |date=2011-06-08 }}</ref>

Turkey had sought a new attack helicopter since the 1990s to replace their diminished Bell AH-1 Cobra and Bell AH-1 SuperCobra fleets. Following a highly protracted selection process, in September 2007, an order was issued for 51 TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK helicopters, a variant of the A129 International.<ref name = "turkey lands"/> As a part of the deal with AgustaWestland, Turkish defense firm [[Company:Turkish Aerospace Industries|TAI]] acquired the rights for future manufacturing of the T129; TAI intends to produce the T129 for export customers. Various components and avionics systems are intended to be replaced with indigenously-produced systems as they are developed.<ref name = "turkey lands"/>

==Design==
[[File:A.129CBT cockpit.jpg|thumb|upright|The gunner's position in the cockpit of an A129. Note the weapons scope and targeting controls present]]

The A129 Mangusta is the first European [[Engineering:Attack helicopter|attack helicopter]]; as such it has several original aspects to its design, such as being the first helicopter to make use of a fully computerised integrated management system to reduce crew workload.<ref name="Frédriksen 12">Frédriksen 2001, p. 12.</ref> It was decided that much of the helicopter's functionality was to be automated; as such, parts of the flight and armament systems are monitored and directly controlled by onboard computers. The A129 shares considerable design similarities to Agusta's earlier A109 utility helicopter; the rear section of the A129 was derived from the A109 and incorporated to an entirely new forward section.<ref name="Frédriksen 12"/> The A129's fuselage is highly angular and armoured for ballistic protection; the composite rotor blades are also able to withstand hits from 23mm cannon fire. The two man crew, comprising a pilot and gunner, sit in a conventional tandem cockpit.<ref name="Frédriksen 12"/>

The A129 can be used in the anti-armour, armed reconnaissance, ground attack, escort, fire support and anti-aircraft roles. For the anti-ground mission the helicopter can employ various armaments, such as up to eight Hellfire missiles.<ref name="Frédriksen 12"/> In the air-to-air role, the FIM-92 Stinger missile was certified for use in 2003.<ref>[http://www.agustawestland.com/node/3206 "Stinger Air-To-Air Missile Validated On The A129 Combat Helicopter."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106032839/http://www.agustawestland.com/node/3206 |date=January 6, 2014 }} ''AgustaWestland'', 20 October 2003.</ref><ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2000/2000%20-%200764.html "A129 gets Stinger as helicopter anti-air missile moves on."] ''Flight International'', 27 March 2000.</ref> The A129 can also be equipped with 81&nbsp;mm or 70&nbsp;mm (2.75&nbsp;in) unguided rockets; a M197 three-barrel 20&nbsp;mm cannon is also installed onto a nose-mounted Oto Melara TM-197B turret.<ref name="Frédriksen 12"/> By 2014, the Spike-ER, a fourth-generation anti-tank missile, had been added to the A129's arsenal.<ref name = "ARH-129D"/><ref name = "129D deploy"/>

Power is provided by a pair of [[Engineering:Rolls-Royce Gem|Rolls-Royce Gem]] 2-1004D turboshaft engines, the engines have been designed to incorporate infrared heat signature reduction measures.<ref name="Frédriksen 12"/> One of the key protective measures incorporated onto the A129 include the electronic warfare and SIAP (single integrated air picture) self-protection suite.<ref name = "ARH-129D"/> Elements of the mission interface systems and the onboard software integrated onto later aircraft were produced by Selex Galileo.<ref>Peruzzi, Luca. [http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/italian-army-reveals-aw129-upgrade-plan-349604/ "Italian army reveals AW129 upgrade plan."] ''Flight International'', 12 November 2010.</ref>

The A129 is equipped with infrared night vision systems and is capable of operating at day or night in all-weather conditions.<ref name ="craw 18"/> Laser systems are fitted onto newer aircraft for range-finding and target designation purposes, the A129 can laser-designate targets for other friendly aircraft to attack.<ref name = "ARH-129D"/> On the AW129D, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems's Toplite III sight is used as the primary targeting system; it is able to act as a FLIR and has both manual and automatic target tracking modes, Toplite also provides a greater detection and identification range than the 1970s era HeliTOW sensor it replaced.<ref name = "129D deploy"/><ref>Egozi, Arie. [http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/aw129-on-target-with-toplite-integration-408001/ "AW129 on target with TopLite integration".] ''Flight International'', 16 January 2015.</ref> In 1998, Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) formally partnered with Agusta to offer various avionics and weapons upgrades to potential A129 operators; various IAI technologies have since been proposed and implemented on Italian A129s.<ref>Egozi, Ari. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1998/1998%20-%200419.html "Israel and Italy team in Turkey."] ''Flight International'', 3 March 1998.</ref><ref>[http://i-hls.com/2015/01/israeli-systems-italian-helicopters/ "Israeli systems on Italian helicopters?"] ''iHLS'', 28 January 2015.</ref>

==Operational history==
[[File:Mangusta Iraq.jpg|thumb|Three A129s in Iraq]]
The Italian Army would receive a total of 60 A129 helicopters, deliveries of the type began in 1990.<ref name=Donald_A129/><ref name = "tay 86"/> In 1999, AgustaWestland received a contract to produce the last batch of 15 A129s to the new combat CBT configuration; in late 2001, the Italian Army opted to have all of their A129s retrofitted to the improved A129 CBT standard.<ref>[http://www.agustawestland.com/node/3157 "Agusta Delivers First Combat A129 To Italian Army."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106032330/http://www.agustawestland.com/node/3157 |date=January 6, 2014 }} ''AgustaWestland'', 25 October 2002.</ref> As of 2011, AgustaWestland plans to modify a total of 24 A129s to the new ARH-129D aerial reconnaissance standard and manufacture a further 24 new-built ARH-129Ds for the Italian Army.<ref name = "ARH-129D">Douglas Nelms. [http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/military/attack/AgustaWestland-ARH-129D-Mangusta_73461.html#.Usn0o02YamR "AgustaWestland ARH-129D Mangusta."] ''Rotor & Wing Magazine'', 1 June 2011.</ref>

In Italian service, the Mangusta has successfully deployed on several {{wipe|United Nations}} missions in nations such as the Republic of Macedonia, Somalia and Angola. The A-129 proved to be suitable in the peacekeeping role and well-suited to operations in hot climates; the type was reported to have been highly reliable and extremely flexible during the deployment to Somalia.<ref name ="craw 18">Crawford 2003, p. 18</ref>

Three A129 helicopters were deployed in Iraq to provide air support for the Italian forces in Nassiriya. Several A129s have also been stationed in Afghanistan to support in-theatre operations by Italian and allied forces.<ref>Kington, Tom. [http://www.defensenews.com/article/20130407/DEFREG01/304070007/Rotary-Combat-U-K-Invests-Germany-Cuts-France-Debates "Rotary Combat: U.K. Invests, Germany Cuts, France Debates."] ''Defense News'', 7 April 2013.</ref> In November 2014, the latest variant of the A129, the AW-129D, was deployed to Afghanistan for the first time.<ref name = "129D deploy">Valpolini, Paolo. [http://www.janes.com/article/46095/italy-deploys-latest-mangusta-attack-helo-variant-to-afghanistan "Italy deploys latest Mangusta attack helo variant to Afghanistan."] ''IHS Jane's Defence Weekly'', 23 November 2014.</ref>

In January 2015, the Italian Army opted for an enhancement package their existing A129 attack helicopters. The upgrades, which are to enter service prior to 2020, focus on increasing the A129's endurance, speed, situational awareness, and information-handling capabilities; other goals included a reduction in pilot workload and integrating the aircraft with future tactical UAVs. A revealed alternative that was considered and rejected was the replacement of the type with an attack-orientated variant of the newer [[Engineering:AgustaWestland AW149|AgustaWestland AW149]] helicopter, upgrading the existing A129s was considered to be less risky and time-consuming.<ref>Stevenson, Beth. [http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/italian-army-describes-mangusta-upgrade-wish-list-408177/ "Italian army describes Mangusta upgrade wish list."] ''Flight International'', 22 January 2015.</ref>

In March 2016, the Italian government announced that it was deploying four A129 attack helicopters and four [[Engineering:NHIndustries NH90|NHIndustries NH90]] transport helicopters along with 130 personnel to the [[Place:Kurdistan|Kurdistan]] region of Iraq to perform combat search and rescue mission as part of a multinational effort to help combat [[Religion:Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|Islamic State]] militants within the region and specifically to protect the Mosul Dam.<ref>Valpolini, Paolo. [http://www.janes.com/article/58445/italy-to-deploy-csar-helicopter-force-to-iraq "Italy to deploy CSAR helicopter force to Iraq."] ''IHS Jane's Defence Weekly'', 2 March 2016.</ref><ref>Dolamari, Mewan. [http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/3a057385-1858-4ea2-8307-8d434e6f9914/Italy-to-send-helicopters-to-Kurdistan-Region "Italy to send helicopters to Kurdistan Region."] ''Kurdistan 24'', 3 March 2016.</ref>

==Variants==
[[File:Mangusta.JPG|thumb|Agusta A129 Mangusta]]

===Production models===
* '''A129 Mangusta''':  Original production version, powered by two Rolls-Royce Gem 2 turboshaft engines.
* '''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).
* '''A129 International''':  Upgraded version with five-bladed rotor, M197 [[Engineering:Rotary cannon|Gatling cannon]] in a customized nose turret, support for Hellfire and Stinger missiles, advanced avionics equipment and two LHTEC T800 turboshafts.
* '''T129''': (AgustaWestland AW129<ref>[http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/108526/maiden-flight-of-turkish-t129-attack-helicopter.html ATAK Team Announce T129 Maiden Flight]</ref>) Turkish attack helicopter based on the A129CBT, featuring Turkish avionics and guided missiles.

===Proposed models===
* '''A129 LBH''': A multipurpose assault helicopter version with a new cabin structure completely with space for carrying eight troops in addition to the two crew. The abbreviation LBH stands for Light Battlefield Helicopter.  This version was designated ''A139'' by Agusta.<ref name=Donald_A129/>
* '''A129 Multi-Role''' Proposed version, not built.
* '''A129 Scout''': Proposed reconnaissance version, not built.
* '''A129 Shipboard''': Proposed naval version, not built.
* '''Tonal''': Proposed derivative 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. Cancelled in 1990.

===Military designations===
;AH-129A
:Italian military designation for the A129 from 2012.<ref name="dgaa">{{cite web |url = http://www.dgaa.it/newsletter/newsletter60/AER-0-0-12.pdf |title = Utilizzo Della Nomenclatura 'Mission Design Series' (MDS) Neele Pubblicazioni Tecniche (PPTT) Di Competenza Della Daa |publisher = Ministero Della Defesa |date = June 2011}}</ref>
;AH-129C
:Italian military designation for the A129C from 2012.<ref name="dgaa" />
;AH-129D
:Italian military designation for the A129D from 2012.<ref name="dgaa" />

==Operators==
{{ITA}}
* Italian Army<ref name="World Air Forces 2018">{{cite web |last = |first = |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/asset/21905/waf/|title = World Air Forces 2018 |work= |publisher= Flightglobal Insight |year= 2018 |doi = |accessdate= 4 August 2018}}</ref> 
{{TUR}}
* Turkish Army (see TAI/AgustaWestland T129)

==Specifications (A129)==
[[File:A129 orthographical image.svg|right|400px]]

{{aircraft specifications
<!-- If you do not understand how to use this template, please ask at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Aircraft.
     Please answer the following questions: -->
|plane or copter?=copter
|jet or prop?=prop
<!-- Now, fill out the specs.  Please include units where appropriate (main comes first, alt in parentheses). If an item doesn't apply, like capacity, leave it blank. For additional lines, end your alt units with a right parenthesis ")" and start a new, fully formatted line beginning with an asterisk "*" 
-->
|ref=AgustaWestland A129 Technical Data,<ref name="agustawestland">{{cite web|url=http://www.agustawestland.com/products01_02.asp?id_product%3D2%26id%3D2 |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2007-09-06 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927025248/http://www.agustawestland.com/products01_02.asp?id_product=2&id=2 |archivedate=2007-09-27 |df= }}. ''AgustaWestland''.</ref> Twenty First Century Military Helicopters,<ref name ="craw 18"/> Jane's Aviation Review<ref name = "tay 86">Taylor 1985, p. 86.</ref>
|crew=2: pilot and weapon systems officer
|length main=12.28&nbsp;m
|length alt=40&nbsp;ft 3 in
|height main=3.35&nbsp;m
|height alt=11&nbsp;ft 0 in
|span main=11.90&nbsp;m
|span alt=39&nbsp;ft 1 in
|area main=111.22&nbsp;m<sup>2</sup>
|area alt=1,197.25&nbsp;ft<sup>2</sup>
|empty weight main=2,530&nbsp;kg
|empty weight alt=5,575&nbsp;lb
|loaded weight main=<!-- kg-->
|loaded weight alt=<!-- lb-->
|max takeoff weight main=4,600&nbsp;kg
|max takeoff weight alt=10,140&nbsp;lb
|more general= '''Rotor systems''': 5 blades on main rotor
|engine (prop)= [[Engineering:Rolls-Royce Gem|Rolls-Royce Gem 2-1004D]] (license built by Piaggio)
|type of prop=[[Engineering:Turboshaft|turboshaft]]s
|number of props=2
|power main= 664&nbsp;kW
|power alt= 890 shp
|max speed main=278&nbsp;km/h
|max speed alt=148 knots, 170&nbsp;mph
|cruise speed main=229&nbsp;km/h
|cruise speed alt=135 knots, 155&nbsp;mph
|range main=510&nbsp;km
|range alt=275 nm, 320&nbsp;mi
|ferry range main=1,000&nbsp;km
|ferry range alt=540 nm, 620&nbsp;mi
|ceiling main=4,725&nbsp;m
|ceiling alt=15,500&nbsp;ft
|climb rate main=10.2&nbsp;m/s
|climb rate alt=2,025&nbsp;ft/min
|loading main=<!-- lb/ft<sup>2</sup> -->
|loading alt=<!-- kg/m<sup>2</sup> -->
|power/mass main=<!-- hp/lb -->
|power/mass alt=<!-- W/kg -->
|guns=1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M197 three-barrel Gatling-type cannon (500 rounds) in a TM197B Light Turreted Gun System (only CBT version)
|missiles=<br/>
**8× AGM-114 Hellfire or BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles
**4-8× AIM-92 Stinger or Mistral anti-aircraft missiles
|rockets=4 pods with
** 38× 81&nbsp;mm (3.19&nbsp;in) unguided rockets ''or''
** 76× 70&nbsp;mm (2.75&nbsp;in) unguided rockets ''or''
** 12.7&nbsp;mm (.50&nbsp;in) machine gun pod
}}

==See also==
{{aircontent
|see also=
|related=
* Agusta A109
* TAI/AgustaWestland T129
|similar aircraft=
* Bell AH-1 SuperCobra
* Boeing AH-64 Apache
* CAIC WZ-10
* [[Engineering:Denel Rooivalk|Denel Rooivalk]]
* [[Engineering:Eurocopter Tiger|Eurocopter Tiger]]
* [[Engineering:HAL Light Combat Helicopter|HAL Light Combat Helicopter]]
* [[Engineering:Harbin Z-19|Harbin WZ-19]]
* [[Engineering:Kamov Ka-50|Kamov Ka-50/Ka-52]]
* [[Engineering:Mil Mi-28|Mil Mi-28]]
|lists=
* [[Engineering:List of attack aircraft|List of attack aircraft]]
* List of helicopters
}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* Brzoska, Michael. ''Restructuring of Arms Production in Western Europe''. Oxford University Press, 1992. {{ISBN|0-19829-147-7}}.
* Crawford, Stephen. ''Twenty First Century Military Helicopters: Today's Fighting Gunships''. Zenith Imprint, 2003. {{ISBN|0-76031-504-3}}.
* Frédriksen, John C. ''International Warbirds: An Illustrated Guide to World Military Aircraft, 1914-2000''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2001. {{ISBN|1-57607-364-5}}.
* Taylor, Michael. ''Jane's Aviation Review''. Jane's, 1985. {{ISBN|0-7106-0333-9}} 
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Agusta A129 Mangusta}}
* [http://www.leonardocompany.com/en/-/t129 T129 page on Leonardocompany.com]


[[Category:Military helicopters]]

{{Sourceattribution|Agusta A129 Mangusta|1}}