[ad_1]
The first Leonardo helicopters are scheduled to land in Austria in mid-2022, the latest in early 2024. They are supposed to accomplish various tasks for the military, from transporting people and materials to fighting fires. The hiring costs around 300 million euros.
The chief of staff, Robert Brieger, emphasized when announcing the purchase of a helicopter from Leonardo that several “worthless” offers had been verified. Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner made no secret of the fact that due to ongoing legal proceedings with Eurofighter manufacturer and helicopter supplier Airbus, she was “happy” that the General Staff recommended the Italian Leonardo.
The purchase of the 18 AW169M is the largest acquisition since the Eurofighter, Tanner explained. And the acquisition of the fighter jet showed “how it shouldn’t work.” At least one has to deal with the consequences to this day, the minister recalled. That’s why a decision was made in favor of a so-called government-to-government helicopter business “to preclude dubious practices from the start.” Specifically, Austria will also order helicopters from the Italians and will negotiate directly with the Italian government.
A matrix with the requirements for the new helicopter had been created in advance and shipped to a large number of countries. In the race were Italy with Leonardo, Germany with Airbus and the United States with Bell. The United States could not have met the training and operations requirements because it does not operate the helicopters themselves, Tanner said. Also, one did not necessarily want to surrender to American law when there are alternatives in the EU, it was heard in the military.
According to Tanner, the schedules in Germany did not fit together and there were different interests when it came to maintenance. However, the minister also added: “My attitude towards Airbus is known, in particular about the ongoing legal proceedings.”
In any case, Italy was able to guarantee comprehensive cooperation, unless it was the “clear and only recommendation” of the General Staff to follow, Tanner said.
The AW169M is a “highly efficient and modern device” and can fulfill all the tasks of the Alouette III to be replaced, and better yet, the minister enthused. The helicopter can be used “perfectly” as a mountain rescue helicopter, for example. The deployment of twelve is said to be stationed at Aigen in Ennstal, and Tanner expressly praised Styrian governor and party colleague Hermann Schützenhöfer as the “political father of this success.”
The minister did not answer how much an hour’s flight cost with the new helicopter. The General Staff told the APA that this could not yet be reliably quantified, that negotiations would have to wait. In any case, Tanner emphasized that it is not just a question of price, but in particular of skills and opportunities for cooperation. Brieger was pleased that with the decision until the departure of the Alouette III, the new helicopter should be available and that no “capacity gap” would emerge.
[ad_2]
