The story of the A129 Mangusta began during the late stages of the Cold War. The helicopter was developed at the request of the Italian Army, which saw the need to equip its air units with a dedicated attack helicopter equipped with anti-tank capabilities. The A129 was the first dedicated attack helicopter fully designed and built in Western Europe. Its project began in 1978, and its final design was ready only in 1982.
The A129 made its first official maiden flight on 15 September 1983, at the Agusta company’s Cascina-Costa facilities. The flight lasted about 30 minutes. Agusta pilots were extremely happy with the results and went on record stating that the helicopter had excellent handling. They had only performed two shakedown flights prior to the first official flight.
It was given the name Mangusta by Italian Army personnel and Agusta employees. This name was mainly chosen because the A129 was a direct competitor of the Bell AH-1 Cobra, which at the time rivaled the Agusta project (the mongoose is known for its ease in killing poisonous snakes).
One of the many characteristics that propelled the A129 Mangusta was also its versatility. It was able to carry many types of weapons, such as Hellfires, BGM-TOW anti-tank missiles, Mistral/Stinger air-to-air missiles, 81 mm Medusa rockets, 70 mm Hydra rockets, and much more. At the time, the first variants of the A129 had access to the latest avionics and incorporated both day and night capabilities, and could also be used in bad weather with low visibility.
The testing and evaluation program lasted until mid-1987, when a production contract was signed for that model, which would later generate several different variants during its career. That early version would only ever be seen equipped with BGM TOW ATGMs and rockets. However, more armament options could be fitted if needed.
A129 International
Once the first versions of the A129 Mangusta entered service with the Italian armed forces, they were well-liked by users, and Agusta was able to generate a lot of interest in this type of helicopter. Although some nations were interested in the base version of the A129, nothing concrete came out of it. So Agusta developed a newer version of the A129 Mangusta in line with export market specifications and needs. This new version of the A129 would go under the designation A129 “International”, likely named that way to attract customers.
The A129 International was designed to meet a wide variety of missions under all-weather conditions, day or night. These ranged from armed scout and reconnaissance to high-intensity air-to-ground and air-to-air capability. One of the many great qualities of this variant, according to Agusta employees, was that the A129 International would be much more than just a regular light antitank helicopter; it would also be the most cost-effective combat rotorcraft in its class. This was clearly a defining factor as, unlike nations such as the US, Italy would market its military vehicles to nations that might not have a large budget to spend on their militaries. That said, it also meant regular militaries could buy more units of the aircraft if needed, which could do the same things as other vehicles of the era, such as the AH-64 Apache, at a much lower cost. The A129 International would prove this by beginning to integrate many different weapon systems that at the time were some of the best in their class. Weapon systems such as Hellfire and TOW ATGMs came standard with the helicopter; however, what was more interesting was the integration of air-to-air missiles, such as the Stinger or Mistral.
During the development of the International, the aircraft would undergo several variations on usually the same airframe, each version integrating different armaments. Some other changes also included different types of thermal imaging sights, a .50 cal turret, an enclosed triple .50 cal turret, or what is now a staple of the A129CBT, the 20 mm M197 three-barrel Gatling-type rotary cannon. All International variants had access to the LHTEC T800 engine, which was an improvement from the base variant of the Mangusta. It allowed the International to have a higher top speed and overall output to reach its service ceiling quicker than the base variant.
The model in-game is a proposed variant which was envisioned to mount the Lucas 12.7 mm turret; it doesn’t seem like it was ever actually made in this configuration, however. Sadly, no nation would ultimately be interested in actually buying such an aircraft, so the International was then brought back to Italy and was no longer offered to any countries.
A129CBT
No country had decided to pick up the A129 International, however, in 1986, the governments of Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an improved version of the A129, called the Joint European Helicopter. The memorandum called for the installation of more powerful engines, a new rotor system, retractable landing gear, better sensors, and more powerful weaponry, but the project collapsed in 1990 when Great Britain and the Netherlands decided to buy the American AH-64 Apache, while Spain opted for the joint French-German Eurocopter Tiger. This was not the end of the A129 International, though. Although it wasn’t bought, everything that had been learned from that version of the helicopter would be re-utilised for an upgrade for the Italian Army’s A129s.
This led to what we know as the A129 Mangusta “Combat”, or “CBT” for short. The CBT was an updated version for the Italian Army, incorporating the same advances of the International version; the avionics were modernised and the motorisation kept original with Rolls Royce Gem 2-1004D’s that produced a maximum unit power of 1120 HP.
The Italian Army CBTs would be used in many theatres of war, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Years passed, and the CBT would require one final upgrade to remain in service; as such, Agusta would once again be in charge and would look into what the Italian army would require.
A129D
After a lot of talk and design proposals, Agusta would finally come out with the A-129 Mangusta “Delta”, also known as the AH-129D. The Delta variant of the Mangusta would be first presented in 2011. It would be highly advanced as it replaced the now out-of-service TOW anti-tank missile with the Israeli-made Spike fire-and-forget missile. The AH-129D variant also improved the avionics and optics of the Mangusta, incorporating the Rafael TOPLITE optic which offered not only better visibility but also improvements in zoom and thermal imaging.
The first user of the AH-129D would be the 5th regiment of the AVES (Aviazione dell’Esercito); Italy would go on to quickly use it in Afghanistan. What was discovered is that during its service there, the AH-129D would rack up more flight hours than its peers; according to pilots stationed there at the time, the Mangusta was better suited for this type of counter-insurgency role.
The Delta variant of the Mangusta is still very much in active service, but by 2027 the Italian army hopes that Leonardo will have begun to deliver the replacement for the Delta, known as the AH/AW-249 'Fenice'.
T129
One of the nations to whom the A129 International was marketed was Turkey. Ultimately, despite amazing feedback, they didn’t buy anything. Decades later, in 2007, on 30 March, Turkey announced that Italy (more specifically Agusta) and Turkey would work together to make a design based off the A129 Mangusta which would be known as the T129 Atak. This would be the first time ever that the A129 Mangusta would be picked up by a foreign country to potentially acquire. The reason it was picked was due to Turkey’s desperate need to fill in their Army’s requirements for an Attack and tactical reconnaissance helicopter. One of the main requirements for the helicopter was to have a good surface ceiling, as to allow it to work better in harsher, warmer climates, as at that time that’s what Turkey envisioned its troops to be stationed in for the foreseeable future.
The avionics and mission equipment would be supplied by Aselsan, the engine would be license-produced from the American CTS800, which was already present in the A129 Mangusta; the Turkish version would be called LHTEC T800-4A. One issue with the engine would be that since it was license-produced, America could have vetoed any exports for the T129 if they had deemed it necessary. In terms of armament, the T129 kept the 20 mm M197 three-barrel Gatling-type rotary cannon that the A129 Mangusta originally had; the cannon could hold up to 500 rounds. It was also able to mount several different types of weapon systems such as the UMTAS ATGM, CIRIT laser-guided rockets, and also several types of gun pods and air-to-air missiles.
The first 3 T129 helicopter prototypes would be built in Italy by Italy with the help of Turkish companies with their avionics. The T129 P1 (CSX81723) would on 29 September 2009 take its maiden flight, where it flew at AgustaWestland’s facilities in Vergiate, Italy. It would be flown in front of an Italian and Turkish crowd and piloted by one Italian and one Turkish pilot. The flight yielded great results, and everyone there was happy with how the helicopter performed.
After the successful flight of the Italian-made T129, the project kept on being developed, and although some setbacks in terms of crashes, funding, and delays, Turkey finally started production of the T129 in Turkey and had put it into service since 2014. Turkey had modified the aircraft in different phases; the one in-game is the second phase. The Turkish army has utilised the machine against several different theatres of war, such as in Syria, Kurdistan, and also took part in the first Turkish coup attempt. For export, the T129 was planned to be exported to Pakistan, but due to a veto on the engines from the USA, the sale eventually went to the Philippines.