Leonardo and the Italian Ministry of Defense: numbers on the table
Company officials described talks with the Italian Ministry of Defense as "advanced." Pretolani said Leonardo already has 19 AW249 aircraft procured and that 14 more are being negotiated, against a stated Italian Army requirement for 48 helicopters. The company is publicly targeting a delivery run of 17 units to the Army by 2028, an objective it framed during public remarks at the Berlin Air Show.
AW249 status: qualification, series production, and intended role
The AW249, developed as a replacement for the Italian Army’s aging AW129 fleet, has entered the final stage of capability qualification, Leonardo said. The company also reported that it has made a headstart on series production. At the Berlin Air Show the platform was presented not only as a combat helicopter but as a "command node" in crewed‑uncrewed teaming networks, with a full‑scale model displayed to underline that role.
Crewed‑uncrewed teaming and the Jump 20 linkage
Pretolani said Leonardo has been experimenting with crewed‑uncrewed teaming since 2015 and that the AW249's interface has been designed "to work with multiple drones." He noted that Rome last year awarded a $46.6 million contract to US‑based AeroVironment for the procurement of an undisclosed number of Jump 20 drones, a medium‑class, fixed‑wing platform with an advertised range of 185 kilometers (115 miles). Leonardo emphasized the drone integration is independent of the 2028 start date for helicopter deliveries, indicating parallel paths for airframe production and unmanned systems integration.
Weapons fits and operational concepts: penetrating at low level
At the show the AW249 was displayed alongside several European armaments that Leonardo said could be integrated onto the platform at customer request, including MBDA‑produced Brimstone, Akeron LP, and the Fulgur missile — the latter described as in development for the Italian Army. Marco Marinoni, head of the AW249 acquisition program in the Italian Army, described a potential mission profile in which the helicopter would "fly at high‑speed and low‑level in order to penetrate deep into enemy territory."
The reporting also referenced observed patterns in recent combat: "Throughout the war in Ukraine, combat helicopters have often been observed operating at low levels as part of detection tactics to avoid anti‑air defenses," while noting it is rarer to see them used to conduct deep strikes into Russian territory because of the threats posed by drones and air defense networks.
What this means for the Italian Army, Leonardo, and AeroVironment
- Italian Army: faces a planned modernization path from AW129 to AW249 with a formal requirement for 48 helicopters; the service is already the tactical UAS customer whose asset Leonardo says it is implementing on the AW249.
- Leonardo: aims to convert ongoing talks into an accelerated production and delivery schedule (17 units by 2028), while positioning the AW249 as a crewed command node capable of controlling multiple drones and as a configurable weapons platform for customers.
- AeroVironment: positioned as the supplier of Jump 20 drones under last year's $46.6 million contract, with its medium‑class fixed‑wing platform cited as the tactical UAS chosen by Rome for integration with the AW249 concept.
The record presented at the Berlin Air Show leaves several concrete, near‑term variables in play: whether the negotiated 14 helicopters will be finalized against the 48‑aircraft requirement, whether Leonardo can meet the 17‑by‑2028 production target, and how quickly and to what extent the Jump 20 and other unmanned systems will be integrated and qualified on the AW249. For now, the program combines a defined procurement math, a declared timeline, and a clear emphasis on crewed‑uncrewed teaming that Leonardo and the Italian Army are racing to make interoperable.
