With three of 32 AW149 helicopters so far received, Poland has cleared the type for operations. (Armaments Agency)

Poland has formally cleared for operational use the first of the Leonardo AW149 armed battlefield utility helicopters it has received.

The Armaments Agency (AA) made the announcement on 5 January, saying that with deliveries of 32 helicopters ongoing, the AW149s so far received “passed all required tests and acceptances and have been approved for operation”.

With three helicopters received to date, the AW149 is now being fielded by the Polish Army’s 25th Air Cavalry Brigade.

The AW149 is replacing the Mil Mi-2 ‘Hoplite’ and some PZL-Świdnik W-3PL Głuszec multirole battlefield helicopters, and will be armed with Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire II air-to-surface missiles. Deliveries are scheduled to run until 2029.

As noted by
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