Leonardo CEO Lorenzo Mariani (center) and Deputy Chief of the Italian Army General Staff Lt. Gen. Salvatore Cuoci (left) stand in front of a full-scale model of the AW-249 combat helicopter at the Berlin Airshow on June 11, 2026. (Breaking Defense)
BERLIN — Leonardo and the Italian Ministry of Defense are in “advanced” talks to expand the Italian Army’s AW-249 combat helicopter fleet, company officials said Thursday.
Standing next to a full-scale model of the aircraft, envisioned not just as a helo but as a command node in a crewed-uncrewed teaming network capable of controlling multiple drones at once, company executives said they are eyeing ambitious production and delivery rates for the Italian service.
“Leonardo is aiming to produce and deliver 17 units to the Army by 2028 — at present we have 19 aircraft already procured and 14 more are being negotiated, out of a total requirement for 48 helicopters,” Roberto Pretolani, head of Leonardo’s military specialized platforms for helicopters marketing, told reporters at the Berlin Air Show.
The AW-249, which is being developed as a replacement for the country’s aging AW-129 fleet, has entered the final stage of capability qualification, with the company having already made a headstart on series production.
