The brand new Gentle Utility Helicopter will exchange the ageing AB206, AB205, AB212 and AB412 helicopters, performing roles corresponding to utility transport, MEDEVAC and CASEVAC.
As a part of its ongoing modernization effort, the Italian Military has obtained the primary UH-169D Gentle Utility Helicopter (LUH). The supply comes 5 years after the service obtained the primary AW169 within the UH-169B “Addestratore Basico Commerciale” (Primary Industrial Coach) configuration, used to begin the coaching of the crews that may fly the ultimate configuration of the helicopter, known as “Multiruolo Avanzato” (Superior Multirole).
The start of a brand new period
The supply was a part of a proper ceremony within the hangar of the 28° Gruppo Squadroni “Tucano” at Viterbo airport. Viterbo, at present house of the Military’s flight faculty, can be set to grow to be house of a brand new joint nationwide coaching heart for all helicopter pilots, exploiting the experience of the Italian Air Drive within the coaching sector.
The Italian Military (@Esercito) took a step ahead within the framework of its complete modernization plan with the supply of the primary #UH169DLight Utility Helicopter (#LUH).
The handover was carried out throughout an official ceremony held on the Italian Military Aviation’s… pic.twitter.com/mHlTL6EORh
— Leonardo Helicopters (@LDO_Helicopters) April 30, 2025
“This result’s the fruit of a vital and dynamic degree of synergy, which will definitely assist us within the growth of additional packages, as important as this one and already launched, in addition to others that may inevitably need to be began, to carry the Military as much as the expectations that the nation locations in us and of the advanced and unsure world that surrounds us,” said the Chief of Employees of the Italian Military, Common Carmine Masiello, throughout his speech on the ceremony. “Let’s transfer ahead, united across the frequent objective of giving our troopers the perfect to have the ability to perform their duties, as a result of they, our troopers, will at all times be on the entrance traces.”
The UH-169D is the results of the cooperation between the Italian Military and Leonardo, who labored collectively to adapt the AW169 helicopter to the wants of the Italian Military. Along with the 2 UH-169Bs already in service, there are actually 25 UH-169Ds on order, with deliveries anticipated to be accomplished by 2027.

“The Italian Military LUH definitely represents the start of a brand new period by way of capabilities, technical help, mission flexibility and interoperability within the mild helicopter phase,” mentioned Leonardo Helicopters Managing Director, Gian Piero Cutillo, on the supply ceremony. “This new program builds on many years of profitable partnerships and steady info change, aimed toward absolutely understanding the altering operational wants and addressing them by way of the probabilities supplied by new applied sciences, as fashionable situations additionally require a real multi-domain strategy.”
Notably, the primary UH-169D delivered sports activities a white livery with the writing “ESERCITO” on the primary cabin’s doorways and the codes “E.I. 111” and the Italian roundel on the tail increase. The helicopter, which sports activities the army serial M.M.82181, was first noticed in flight in November 2024, when it flew nonetheless painted with solely the primer.
The white livery is the normally seen on Italian UH-212 helicopters deployed to Lebanon as a part of the Job Drive ITALAIR, the Italian contribution to the UNIFIL Joint Job Drive. In accordance with some experiences, this primary plane may be quickly deployed to exchange the UH-212s in Lebanon, though there isn’t a point out of it within the Military’s press launch.

ITALAIR’s helicopters are supplied by the 2nd Rtg. Aviazione dell’Esercito “Sirio” (2nd Rgt. Military Aviation “Sirius”, because the Military Aviation regiments are named after constellations), which was the unit who obtained the UH-169Bs and, in line with a 2020 press launch on the time of the supply, was deliberate to grow to be the primary unit to be geared up with the ultimate variant of the LUH.
Moreover, our contributor Oscar Bernardi photographed the primary UH-169D helicopter in February 2025 with a partial closing livery which additionally included the “UN” markings on the underside of the fuselage, though they have been coated by one other patch of markings when the helicopter was noticed once more a month later with the markings proven on supply.

The UH-169 LUH
The AW169 LUH relies on the AW169M, the army variant of the AW169 mild intermediate twin-engine helicopter, designed to hold out a variety of duties, together with utility, surveillance, particular operations, maritime patrol, land reconnaissance, coaching, rescue and firefighting.
In accordance with the Italian Ministry of Protection, the brand new Gentle Utility Helicopter will exchange the ageing Fight Help Helicopters (Elicotteri da Supporto al Combattimento, ESC) at present in service, just like the A-109, AB-205, AB-206, AB-212 and AB-412, whereas filling the gaps as a result of obsolescence of the fleet. Additionally, it will permit to optimize logistics with a single-platform fleet, as a substitute of the present one based mostly on 5 totally different helicopters that have been put in service between the Nineteen Seventies and the Nineteen Nineties.
The necessities set for this system by the MoD requested an helicopter that was already in service in different Italian armed forces and legislation enforcement companies, with Command and Management (C2) programs already in service or within the acquisition section, a service lifetime of 10,000 flight hours or a minimum of 30 years and the aptitude to speak and transmit photographs and movies to the troops on the bottom, each with Italian property and in a joint/NATO setting, following the Military’s Forza NEC (Community Enabled Functionality) program. The helicopter has additionally to carry out in a “twin use” function for civilian Search And Rescue (SAR), MEDical EVAcuation (MEDEVAC), surveillance, firefighting and help within the occasion of pure calamities.

The superior multirole configuration of the AW169 LUH at present options devoted flight and mission tools together with NVG-compatible built-in glass cockpit, superior C4 programs (Command, Management, Communication and Computer systems), rescue hoist and rappelling/quick roping tools, Electro-Optical/Infra-Purple (EO/IR) system, self-defense programs, searchlight, loudspeakers, cargo hook and each inside and exterior weapon stations.
The primary exterior distinction, in comparison with the baseline AW169, is the skid touchdown gear, which replaces the usual retractable touchdown gear. This enables the helicopter to land on each sort of terrain, whereas holding upkeep prices beneath management.
The helicopter can be geared up with the Leonardo MAIR (Multi Aperture InfraRed) risk warning system, which makes use of infrared cameras to concurrently detect and observe incoming missiles, in addition to hostile gunfire threats, through their warmth signatures. The IR expertise permits the detection of threats at their very early stage thus offering an extended timeframe for counteraction.