DOPPELADLER.COM

Leonardo Helicopters now expects to have its full complement of four AW249 Fenice test aircraft flying by the early part of 2025, as development of the next-generation attack helicopter continues to progress.

Although the airframer had previously hoped that all four test assets – a single prototype and three pre-production examples – would be airborne by the end of this year, the date has slipped slightly due to the demands of its Italian army customer, albeit with no impact on the overall programme schedule.

In an unusual move, the army requested the participation of one of the fleet in its recent Stella Alpina exercise, which took place in mid-September and saw the attack helicopter operating at altitudes above 2,000m (6,560ft) in the north of the country.

As a result of the preparations required to support that short-notice deployment, the first flight schedule for the remaining two rotorcraft has been shuffled back slightly from a previous year-end target, says AW249 programme manager Alessandro Alfonso.