War Thunder - AH-129D Mangusta

Описание: #WarThunder #Devblog #Update

The AH-129D is the penultimate variant of the Italian Mangusta attack helicopter, originally introduced during the 1990s. Featuring enhanced firepower, the AH-129D will soon join the top rank of the Italian helicopter tree in the next major update “Kings of Battle”!

AH-129D Mangusta: A Helicopter for Italy at Rank VII!
Features:

Deadly Spike missiles.
Excellent agility.

History
Following the introduction of the A129 CBT into service, Agusta continued refining the design of their light attack helicopter and quickly developed a successor model in the early 2010s — the AH-129D. Closely resembling the preceding A129 CBT, the new ‘Delta’ variant featured updated avionics and a new targeting system as well as improved structural strength through the use of more advanced materials. Crucially however, the updated electronics enabled the helicopter to be armed with the much more capable Spike ATGMs, which entered service with the vehicle in 2014.

Presently, the A129s in service with the Italian military are undergoing modernization programs to be upgraded to the latest ‘Delta’ variant of which several dozen vehicles have already completed this modification.

Meet the AH-129D Mangusta!
In War Thunder, the AH-129D will be the most advanced attack helicopter to be added to the Italian research tree! Inheriting all of the Mangusta’s signature characteristics which you may have come to appreciate, this latest modification substantially ups the ante in terms of firepower. And in today’s devblog, we’re going to tell you all about it — let’s dive into the details!

Interesting: The Mangusta’s name translates into “Mongoose”, which is a small animal that is capable of striking deadly attacks against their prey, much like the AH-129D Mangusta will be able to do in game!

Since the AH-129D at first glance resembles its predecessor very closely, you may think that the new variant doesn’t offer any substantial improvements over the already familiar A129 CBT. However, this couldn’t be further from reality! In fact, the AH-129D comes fitted with an upgraded target guidance system, which’ll give you access to the powerful Spike-ER ATGM. The Spike ATGM combines fire-and-forget capabilities with a tandem warhead, thus allowing you to quickly engage multiple targets while resting assured that the destruction of the target is just a matter of counting down the seconds to impact.

Apart from receiving more powerful missiles, the AH-129D also retains full access to its predecessor’s arsenal. As a result, you can pick and choose between a vast assortment of weapon systems, ranging from ATGMs over air-to-air missiles and going up to basic Hydra unguided rockets or HMG gun pods. At the same time, this helicopter also retains its nose-mounted 20mm cannon, enabling it to strafe lightly armored vehicles and defend itself from hostile aircraft.

Did you know? The M197 three-barreled 20mm rotary cannon was designed as a lighter version of the M61 Vulcan cannon for light aircraft and helicopters. This is because these vehicles are not able to house the larger cannon, and are not capable of controlling its intense recoil.

Continuing the trend set out by its firepower, the AH-129D also retains the flight characteristics of the preceding variant, despite the upgrades it received. As a result, this vehicle is still capable of reaching a high top speed and maintains its signature agility, thus making it ideally suited for ‘pop-up’ attacks and hitting the enemy forces when and where they least expect it.

In your matches: Pro-tips when using the AH-129D Mangusta by Tom (Oxy), WT Community Manager (TL): “The benefit of this range and the fire and forget nature of Spikes means you can position yourself very safely while simultaneously getting the most out of the missiles. Aim to hug terrain and minimize your time in the open, pop out to fire off a missile before quickly returning into cover.”

The AH-129D will soon become the most capable vehicle to join the Italian helicopter tree as part of the next major update “Kings of Battle”, certainly providing you with the ultimate tool to support tracked allies on the ground with. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to the news to catch all the latest developments surrounding the upcoming update. Until then, enjoy your matches.