{"id":65485,"date":"2026-06-14T23:25:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T21:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=65485"},"modified":"2026-06-14T23:48:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T21:48:03","slug":"the-first-public-display-of-the-aw249-fenice-helicopter-in-flight-with-crew-frisking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/06\/14\/the-first-public-display-of-the-aw249-fenice-helicopter-in-flight-with-crew-frisking\/","title":{"rendered":"The first public display of the AW249 Fenice helicopter in flight, with crew frisking"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two years ago we saw the Leonardo Helicopters AW249 Fenice here<\/a>, the new attack helicopter of the Italian Army.<\/p>\n

An exhibition of the AW249 Fenice, the new attack helicopter of the Italian Army<\/a><\/rel>
\nThe Czech Republic rearms and receives its first AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

Designed to replace the aging A129 Mangusta<\/strong>, which first flew in 1983 and entered service in 1990, four units have been built so far for the development of the Fenice (Phoenix, in Italian):<\/strong> one prototype and three pre-production aircraft. Its first flight took place on August 12, 2022. Its main armament will be a 20mm M197B rotary cannon with three barrels<\/strong>, a very old weapon: the first versions date back to 1967 and it already equipped the A129.<\/p>\n

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Like other attack helicopters, the Fenice has two small wings with six hardpoints<\/strong>, four underwing and two wingtip, on which it can carry Hydra 70 rocket launchers, Spike ER2 and Spike LR2 anti-tank missiles and MBDA Italia Fulgur air-to-air missiles.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fenice was first exhibited at the Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris in June 2024<\/strong>, but only as a static display, without any flights. This week, Leonardo Helicopters took the Fenice to the ILA Berlin defense exhibition, where it made its first public flight demonstration<\/strong> on June 10th. There, the helicopter showcased its flight capabilities, maneuverability, and power, as seen in this video published on June 11th by Luhengfoto<\/a>:<\/p>\n