The AW129 multirole combat helicopter is the newest variant of the A129 Mangusta (Mongoose) helicopter in service with the Italian Army. it's manufactured by AgustaWestland, a joint venture company, that was originally formed by Finmeccanica of Italy and GKN of the united kingdom, however is currently solely owned by Finmeccanica.
The AW129 is a multirole helicopter for armed reconnaissance and surveillance, high-value ground-target engagement, escort, fire support, and air-threat suppression. it's armed with new powerful air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles, an off-axis cannon and an increased weapon payload.
The structure of the helicopter is a semi-monocoque style with an aluminium alloy frame. Composite materials compose nearly 500th of the fuselage weight. The airframe provides ballistic protection against 12.7mm armour piercing rounds. The engines are armour protected. the main rotor has ballistic tolerance against 12.7mm rounds.
