The AW249, designated AH-249A NEES and known as Fenice by the Italian Army, is being developed with the support of the Italian Ministry of Defence, the National Armaments Directorate and the Italian Army. Leonardo described it as the only clean-sheet Western combat helicopter design currently in development to meet emerging operational requirements for the next 30 years and beyond.
At ILA Berlin, Leonardo announced an international promotional strategy for the AW249. The strategy is intended to highlight the aircraft’s benefits for modern deterrence, interoperability and industrial cooperation with partners and allies.
The company said the AW249 can provide operational superiority while offering industrial and economic benefits to partner nations. Leonardo said it sees the helicopter as a potential new European combat helicopter that could support investment, supply chain efficiency and interoperability with countries seeking to meet future capability needs.
The AW249 includes digitisation, connectivity, sensor fusion and information superiority features intended to support multi-domain operations. Leonardo said the aircraft is designed to maintain operational tempo, support tactical manoeuvre and improve situational awareness and decision-making against current and emerging threats.
The helicopter has an open architecture intended to support future growth and the integration of additional capabilities. Leonardo said the design allows the aircraft to respond to an evolving operational environment and demanding market requirements.
The AW249 is designed for high performance in speed, range, power margin, payload, hot-and-high conditions and manoeuvrability for advanced nap-of-the-earth flight. The company said these characteristics support its integration into the modern multi-domain battlefield across air, land, sea, space and cyber environments.
The helicopter features a large-area display human-machine interface with multi-touch screen recognition devices in the tandem-seat cockpit. It also includes a Leonardo-developed Battle Management System, modern pilot helmets, multiple sensors and advanced connectivity.
Leonardo said artificial intelligence and automation are used throughout the aircraft to support the crew and assist decision-making during all phases of a mission. The company said these technologies help the AW249 act as more than a traditional combat helicopter.
The AW249 is designed to perform aerial and ground escort, close air support, close combat attack and air interdiction missions. It can also conduct reconnaissance operations and act as an information node within a complex C4 architecture.
Leonardo said the aircraft can use onboard surveillance systems or cooperating units to scan the battlespace and identify friendly and adversary ground units. It can then use that information itself or transmit it securely to a command and control centre.
The helicopter is being built to exploit future crewed-uncrewed teaming opportunities. Leonardo said it also has shipboard operational capability designed in from the start.
The AW249’s weapon system includes guided and unguided 70mm rockets, air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles and a 20mm three-barrel Gatling gun. Its survivability features include an Integrated Defensive Aids Suite, armoured seats, ballistic-tolerant fuel tanks, crashworthiness, low detectability, situational awareness and cyber protection.
Leonardo said the AW249 is being developed with digital simulation, technical support and training in mind. The programme includes high-fidelity mission simulation, virtual reality, prescriptive maintenance through data gathering and analysis, and a laboratory for system optimisation and tactical scenario evaluation.
“The result of a farsighted vision shared by Institutions and Industry, the AW249 programme comes into play in a particular period considering the evolving global security landscape and, even more, Europe’s efforts towards stronger synergies in defence and security initiatives,” said Lorenzo Mariani, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Leonardo. “The AW249 factually demonstrates Leonardo’s world-class expertise in platforms and electronics, allowing a full control of core capabilities while ensuring significant industrial collaboration opportunities and may represent one of our catalysts to support these European efforts.”
“At a time when strengthening defence and security cooperation has never been more important, the AW249 stands ready not only to deliver operational superiority but also to create new opportunities for collaboration, on the continent and beyond,” Mariani said. Leonardo said the programme reflects a combination of platform, electronics and systems expertise.
“The AW249 provides evidence of our commitment to making helicopters evolve far beyond their traditional role in terms of architecture and capabilities, proactively embracing and integrating the latest technological trends while investing in a clear long-term roadmap,” said Gian Piero Cutillo, Co-General Manager of Leonardo and Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters. “Much more than a new combat helicopter, the AW249 will act as a command-and-control node within the battlespace, capable of collecting, processing, fusing and distributing information in real time, orchestrating assets across domains to enable faster, better-informed decisions and actions.”
“Once again, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Italian Ministry of Defence, the National Armaments Directorate and the Italian Army for their trust, support and close cooperation throughout this programme that now can evolve into a new teaming strategy,” Cutillo said. The company said the helicopter is being developed to replace the Italian Army’s AW129 fleet.
The AW249 has a maximum take-off weight of 8.3 tonnes. A prototype made its maiden flight in summer 2022, and four aircraft have been built since then, including three pre-production units.
The programme entered its final stage of development and capability qualification earlier this year. Leonardo said environmental trials will be completed next, while work continues on armament integration and testing, the Battle Management System and human-machine interface configuration.
Leonardo has also begun crewed-uncrewed teaming development to integrate the Italian Army’s selected unmanned aircraft system. Air Launched Effects and counter-UAS capability are also being assessed for the future.
Nineteen AW249 helicopters have been procured, and negotiations for an additional 14 are ongoing. The total requirement is 48 helicopters, with series production already started and deliveries to the Italian Army with initial entry into service expected to begin in 2028.
