ITA0006 Agusta A129 Mangusta is a modern Italian attack and anti-tank helicopter . The prototype's flight took place in 1983, and the machine entered service in 1987. The helicopter - in the A129 version - has a fuselage length of 12.28 meters and a rotor diameter of 11.9 meters. The drive is provided by two Rolls-Royce Gem 2-1004D engines with 890 HP each. The helicopter has a classic layout with a single main rotor and a propeller on the tail boom. Currently, the on-board armament is a 20mm M197 cannon, and the helicopter is capable of carrying up to eight anti-tank missiles. AGM-114 Hellfire, BGM-71 TOW or Spike-ER. Design work on the Agusta A129 Mangusta began in the late 1970s, commissioned by the Italian ground forces, which sought to obtain a relatively light attack helicopter. In order to accelerate research and development, many components already proven in the Agusta A109 machine have been used. It is worth noting that when designing the A129, the emphasis was placed on the small size of the machine and its maneuverability, rather than on the powerful armor or very high survivability of light anti-aircraft weapons. In total, four main development versions of this helicopter were created: A129 Mangusta (first production version), A129 Mangusta International (or AW129 - export version, with new engines and having a deck gun in the nose of the fuselage), A129 CBT (modernization of the original A129 version for the Italian army) ) and the T-129 ATAK (version for the Turkish armed forces developed in 2008-2012).
