Austria signs deal for 18 AW169 helicopters

Italy and Austria have entered into an agreement for the sale and procurement of 18 Leonardo AW169 multirole helicopters for the Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer). 

Signed on 2 December at the Italian Ministry of Defence in Rome, the implementation phase of the agreement paves the way for a formal contractual agreement by 20 December and acquisition signature in mid-January 2022. 

Austria has earmarked between EUR300 million (USD340 million) and EUR400 million for the programme. 

 According to ARMAERO, the contract will cover six helicopters in the AW169B configuration, as well as up to 12 potentially armed AW169MA helicopters. Spares, training, support, and other items will be included in the sale. 

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