D
ESIGN OF THE A129
Mangusta (mongoose) for the
then Aviazione Leggera
dell’Esercito (ALE) began in
1978, and the type made its
maiden fl ight on September
15, 1983. A fi rst batch of 45 examples was
initially acquired by the Italian Army. At fi rst
the helicopter was armed with BGM-71 TOW
(Tube-launched Optically-tracked Wire-
guided) anti-tank missiles and rockets of 70
and 81mm caliber.
The Mangusta made its debut ‘in anger’
between 1992 and 1994 during Operation
‘Restore Hope’ in Somalia, where one example
launched a TOW missile to destroy an Italian
vehicle that had fallen into Somali hands
during the now infamous ‘Battle of
Checkpoint Pasta’ on July 2, 1993. Otherout-of-area operations saw the type deployed
to Albania in 1997 and in Macedonia and
Kosovo between 1998 and 2000.
In 1992 Agusta completed the fi rst A129
International version. This project formed the
basis of the A129CBT, an ad-hoc version for
the now renamed Aviazione dell’Esercito
(AvEs), and born out of operational experience
acquired in Somalia. The CBT variant was
equipped with a new fi ve-blade rotor,
replacing the original four blades of the
original A129, and a General Electric/
Lockheed Martin TM197B three-barrel 20mm
rotary cannon, produced and developed in
Italy by OtoBreda, part of the Finmeccanica
group. It retained the ability to carry containers
for 70mm or 81mm rockets. Fifteen new
A129CBTs were ordered, the fi rst of which
was delivered in October 2002. This wasfollowed by the conversion of nearly all the
original 45 A129s to the same standard.
Besides the new armament, the CBT version
featured improvements to the avionics and
night fl ying/navigation systems, together with
new low-visibility camoufl age and insignia.
The engines were the same as those in the
original A129, the Rolls-Royce Gem 2
Mk1004, manufactured under license by
Piaggio with the designation RR 1004.
Under the Mission Design Series presently in
use, the A129CBT is now designated as the
AH-129C in Italian service. There are further
sub-denominations of the various versions
within the service: the original A129 as used
in Somalia was the block G5, other versions
without the cannon were the G9A, G9B and
G11, and the basic AH-129C was the G13,
while the G15 is the AH-129C SIAP (SistemaWhile the design of the A129 Mangusta —
the Italian Army’s rst dedicated anti-tank
combat helicopter — dates back to the late
1970s, in its latest AH-129D guise it is
a formidable performer that ensures the
type’s continued relevance on the modern
battle eld.report: Massimo Baldassini and
Daniele MattiuzzoMANGUSTA SHARPENS ITS CLAWS
86 May 2015 http://www.combataircraft.netINDUSTRY REPORT
86-89 AH-129D C.indd 86 20/03/2015 11:14