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The Armed Forces are buying 18 helicopters from the Italian manufacturer Leonardo for 300 million euros. Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) announced the leaked decision on Monday and assured that it is a “very efficient and modern device.” At the same time, she was “happy” that the General Staff had recommended Leonardo, and not the Eurofighter manufacturer and helicopter supplier Airbus. The opposition was initially satisfied.
The new helicopters replace the “Alouette III” light transport and liaison helicopters, which are due to be retired at the end of 2023 for technical reasons. They are supposed to accomplish various tasks for the military, from transporting people and materials to fighting fires. The € 300 million total should include all acquisitions, i.e. helicopters, technology, logistics, but also training and infrastructure requirements.
Contract negotiations with the Italian government (“government-to-government” business) are expected to take around six months, then the production of the helicopters will take about a year and a half. The first helicopters should land in Austria in mid-2022, the last in early 2024. The 12 machines that make up the squadron are stationed at Aigen im Ennstal in Styria. The six training helicopters arrive at the Langenlebarn anti-aircraft school in Lower Austria.
Chief of Staff Robert Brieger emphasized that several offers had been verified “without trial.” A matrix with the requirements for the new helicopter had been created beforehand and shipped to a large number of countries, Tanner explained. 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. 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. When asked, the minister did not answer how much an hour’s flight costs 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.
The opposition reacted generally satisfied. SPÖ and NEOS still demanded transparency on how the decision in favor of the Italians came about. The FPÖ fixed the budget for the new helicopters on the flags, because its minister at that time, Mario Kunasek, had negotiated it.
Those: APA
