From June 10 to 14, 2026, Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt will once again become a center of the international aerospace industry as part of ILA Berlin 2026. The Italian company Leonardo presented its latest AW249 Fenice attack helicopter, also known as the AH-249A NEES (Nuovo Elicottero da Esplorazione e Scorta).
Photos: Leonardo
The presentation is being held with the support of the General Secretariat of Defence and National Armaments Directorate, SEGREDIFESA (Segretariato Generale della Difesa e Direzione Nazionale degli Armamenti), under the Italian Ministry of Defence, and the Italian Army Aviation (Esercito Italiano). It is intended to launch the international promotional strategy for the AW249 in export markets. A flight demonstration of its capabilities was also carried out. This is the helicopter’s third public presentation, following Eurosatory 2024 and the Paris Air Show 2025.
Leonardo informed guests, stakeholders, and international delegations how the new helicopter type will provide an operational advantage and new capabilities through international cooperation. The helicopter features a comprehensive package of breakthrough technologies and mission capabilities that enhance situational awareness and support decision-making, while maintaining operational tempo and tactical maneuverability, and aiming to preserve battlefield dominance in the face of current and emerging threats. The program may also bring industrial and economic benefits to partner countries, as Leonardo presented its vision for the AW249 to become Europe’s new combat helicopter. This would provide sustained investment, cost and supply-chain efficiency, and enable interoperability with other countries around the world seeking to meet new requirements.
The #Leonardo #AW249 takes the sky at @ILA_Berlin, performing its first-ever public flight display in a live demonstration of next-generation combat helicopter capabilities.
Designed for the most challenging modern battlefield scenarios, it represents a step change in… pic.twitter.com/1ExJRFi1Ov
— Leonardo Helicopters (@LDO_Helicopters) June 11, 2026
Leonardo claims that the Fenice is the only Western combat helicopter currently under development that meets stringent new operational requirements for at least the next 30 years. It uses unique capabilities and technologies that are not currently available on the market and are not expected to be replicated by other platforms until several years after it reaches operational readiness, making it a uniquely and ideally suited bridge toward the platform’s further, gradual evolution.
To address rapidly evolving threats, the AW249 features a fully open architecture, with significant room for further development and the integration of complementary functions in the future in order to meet operational and growing market requirements. The AW249 offers high speed, range, power margin and payload capacity, high-altitude operating capability, and maneuverability. This performance is crucial for the AW249, as it enables full integration and interoperability on the modern multi-domain battlefield ‒ air, land, sea, space, and cyber.
The AW249’s tandem cockpit is equipped with an advanced large-area display and a touchscreen integrated with a sensor that recognizes the pilot’s hand movements, creating a highly effective HMI (human-machine interface). It is fitted with Leonardo’s BattleCompany battle management system, while the crew’s displays and modern helmets with helmet-mounted displays provide rapid access to key flight, navigation, and mission data, supplied by numerous sensors and advanced communications systems. Artificial intelligence and automation have been implemented in the AW249 to enhance crew capabilities and support decision-making at every stage of the mission.
It has a maximum takeoff weight of 8.3 tonnes, including a useful load of 2.8 tonnes. Endurance is 245 minutes, of which 50 minutes can be flown after a complete loss of lubrication in the drivetrain. Range with internal fuel is up to 800 km, with a cruise speed of up to 287 km/h.
The AW249 can carry out a variety of missions, including escort, CAS (close air support), engagement of armored targets, and interception of aerial targets. The helicopter can also conduct reconnaissance operations, acting as an information node within a complex C4 (ISTAR) command system architecture, or using onboard surveillance systems or those of cooperating units to scan the battlefield, identify friendly and hostile ground units for its own use, or transmit information via a secure channel to a command-and-control center.
The AW249 has been designed with future advanced CUC-T (Crewed-UnCrewed Teaming) capabilities in mind. Its powerful engines enable operations in the most extreme conditions.
The AW249 is equipped with a flexible armament system that includes 70 mm guided and unguided rockets, air-to-air missiles, and air-to-surface missiles, as well as a three-barrel 20 mm Gatling gun. Exceptional survivability is provided by the advanced integrated IDAS (Integrated Defensive Aids Suite), together with armored seats and cockpit. Damage-tolerant fuel tanks, crashworthiness, and low detectability further enhance survivability, in addition to excellent situational awareness provided by navigation and sensor fusion, as well as robust cyber protection.
The AW249 is being developed with digital simulation capabilities and a state-of-the-art approach to technical support and training in mind, using high-fidelity mission simulation, virtual reality, and predictive maintenance through data collection and analysis. This is complemented by a newly developed mission design and scenario laboratory, used for system optimization, tactical scenario assessment, and testing in an advanced synthetic environment.
Lorenzo Mariani, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Leonardo, said:
„The result of a farsighted vision shared by Institutions and Industry, the AW249 programme comes into play in a particular period considering the evolving global security landscape and, even more, Europe’s efforts towards stronger synergies in defence and security initiatives. The AW249 factually demonstrates Leonardo’s world-class expertise in platforms and electronics, allowing a full control of core capabilities while ensuring significant industrial collaboration opportunities and may represent one of our catalysts to support these European efforts. At a time when strengthening defence and security cooperation has never been more important, the AW249 stands ready not only to deliver operational superiority but also to create new opportunities for collaboration, on the continent and beyond.”
Gian Piero Cutillo, Co-General Manager of Leonardo and MD of Leonardo Helicopters, underlined:
„The AW249 provides evidence of our commitment to making helicopters evolve far beyond their traditional role in terms of architecture and capabilities, proactively embracing and integrating the latest technological trends while investing in a clear long-term roadmap. Much more than a new combat helicopter, the AW249 will act as a command-and-control node within the battlespace, capable of collecting, processing, fusing and distributing information in real time, orchestrating assets across domains to enable faster, better-informed decisions and actions. Once again, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Italian Ministry of Defence, the National Armaments Directorate and the Italian Army for their trust, support and close cooperation throughout this programme that now can evolve into a new teaming strategy.”
The AW249 is being developed to replace the Italian Army’s AW129 Mangusta (AH-129D) fleet, which is approaching the end of its service life. The AW249 prototype made its first flight in the summer of 2022. Since then, four helicopters have been built, three of which are pre-production aircraft. The program entered the final phase of capability development and qualification at the beginning of this year. Internal environmental testing will then be completed, while work will continue on weapon integration and testing, the battle management system, and the HMI (human-machine interface) configuration. Leonardo has already begun developing CUC-T (Crewed-UnCrewed Teaming) solutions to integrate the unmanned aircraft system selected by the Italian Army, while future capabilities involving ALE (Air Launched Effects) strike drone systems and C-UAS (counter-unmanned aircraft systems) are being evaluated.
So far, 19 aircraft have been purchased, while negotiations for another 14 are under way, out of a total requirement for 48 helicopters. Series production has already begun, and deliveries to the Italian Army, together with the type’s initial entry into service, are expected to begin in 2028.
Interest in the AW249 has been expressed since 2023 by Spain, where a pre-series aircraft was tested, and by Hungary, whose representatives held initial talks with the Italian side. Leonardo is also looking at other potential export directions, including Asia.
At @ILA_Berlin, #Leonardo, fully supported by the National Armaments Directorate and Italian Army (@Esercito), announced an #AW249 international promotional strategy, setting out the programme’s modern deterrence and interoperability benefits as well as outlining industrial… pic.twitter.com/hQH2a2xFrN
— Leonardo (@Leonardo_live) June 11, 2026