Algeria Algerian Armed Forces

Chakib larbi

Contributor
Moderator
Arab Moderator
Algeria Moderator
Messages
1,250
Reactions
18 3,180
Nation of residence
Algeria
Nation of origin
Algeria



Sans titreezz.png
dsd.png
sds.png
Sans titrezz.png
Sans titrezee.png
fezfez.png
Sans titrecx.png
eddfe.png
nbn.png
eefe.png
Sans titreeefef.png
Sans titreee.png
Sans titrefds.png
Sans titrefezze.png
dzadzeze.png
 

Chakib larbi

Contributor
Moderator
Arab Moderator
Algeria Moderator
Messages
1,250
Reactions
18 3,180
Nation of residence
Algeria
Nation of origin
Algeria
Sako TRG-42 Sniper Rifle / Remington MSR Modular Sniper Rifle / Accuracy International AX Sniper Rifle / Zastava M93 Black Arrow anti-materiel Sniper Rifle .

Sans titrevcxv.png
Sans titreffdsf.png
Sans titrebvcbc.png
 

Chakib larbi

Contributor
Moderator
Arab Moderator
Algeria Moderator
Messages
1,250
Reactions
18 3,180
Nation of residence
Algeria
Nation of origin
Algeria

Leonardo Secures First Order For Algerian Rotorcraft Assembly Line​


DALLAS—Leonardo Helicopters is preparing to spin-up local assembly of rotorcraft in Algeria after securing orders from the country’s military.
The company’s joint venture with the Algerian National Defense Ministry has received an order for seven AW139 twin-engine medium helicopters, the first of several expected orders for rotorcraft which will be built on a newly established assembly line at Ain Arnat Airport in Algeria’s Setif province.
“The contract will trigger the process for the start-up of the production line,” officials told Aviation Week ahead of the Verticon rotorcraft industry exposition opening here in Dallas on March 11.
Once the assembly line is established, it will roll out AW139s in one to two years, building up local capabilities for both assembly and maintenance. The final customer for the aircraft has not been disclosed. Leonardo’s Verigiate facility near Milan will provide the assembly kits.
Company officials also revealed there is a possibility that the Ain Arnat plant could also churn out aircraft for export to a selected number of countries.
The site in Algeria is only the second assembly line outside Italy for the AW139, the other being in Philadelphia. The Algerian plant is expected to deliver at least two other Leonardo helicopter types, as well as the AW139.
Creation of the assembly line in Ain Arnat follows the 2016 signing of an agreement between Leonardo and the government in Algiers to help “revitalize national industry.” The original agreement had called for the plant to become operational and begin building rotorcraft in 2021, but progress is believed to have been delayed due to the COVID pandemic.
The facility's establishment builds on orders placed by the North African country during the 2000s when Algiers re-equipped much of its naval air arm and civil protection services with Leonardo-built helicopters. At least around 70-80 aircraft have been sold into Algeria since the late 2000s, including AW139s, AW119s, AW101s and Super Lynx maritime helicopters.

GlIdn5_XcAAh9MD.jpg


 

Chakib larbi

Contributor
Moderator
Arab Moderator
Algeria Moderator
Messages
1,250
Reactions
18 3,180
Nation of residence
Algeria
Nation of origin
Algeria
Algerian army Buk-M2E shot down an Akıncı drone belonging to the Malian Air Force that had crossed the southern Algerian border...


Algerian Ministry of Defense statement


Shooting down an armed drone that violated national borders As part of efforts to protect our national borders, a unit of the Territorial Air Defense of the 6th Military Region, on the night of April 1, 2025, around midnight, detected and shot down an armed reconnaissance drone near the border town of Tin Zaouatine in the 6th Military Region, after it had penetrated airspace for a distance of 2 kilometers. This qualitative operation confirms once again the high vigilance and constant readiness of the National People's Army units to protect our land, air, and sea borders from any threat to national sovereign

 
Last edited:

Chakib larbi

Contributor
Moderator
Arab Moderator
Algeria Moderator
Messages
1,250
Reactions
18 3,180
Nation of residence
Algeria
Nation of origin
Algeria

Algeria orders 3 AW-159 Wildcat helicopters for its navy



After news broke that a North African country had contracted for this helicopter in March 2023, which was expected to be Egypt, it recently emerged that the unknown customer for the Wildcat is none other than the Algerian Navy, which has ordered three of these helicopters to bolster its fleet of ASuW/ASW helicopters, which are expected to be delivered by 2027.


Leonardo Helicopters continues to assess the future of its AW159 Wildcat programme in light of a dwindling backlog and a challenging sales environment.
At present, the airframer is building three examples for Algeria, its only outstanding customer for the naval helicopter.
Gian Piero Cutillo, managing director of Leonardo Helicopters, says the AW159 is “suffering” as additional orders are “not easy” to realise.

Although the company is pursuing “a couple of opportunities”, with the exception of a requirement from New Zealand, “none of these are really hot” and do not involve “big numbers”.

Wellington is seeking a replacement for its navy’s fleet of eight Kaman SH-2G Seasprites from 2027.

“That’s why I believe if something doesn’t happen in terms of material orders, that’s something we got to think about,” he said, speaking to FlightGlobal at the Verticon event in Dallas.

Deliveries to Algeria are scheduled to complete around 2027 but Cutillo says the manufacturer will have to “decide a bit sooner” on the Wildcat’s future.

“We are not going to wait. It is one of the strategic items we have got on the table.”

The Algerian deal saw Leonardo Helicopters restart AW159 production following a break after the completition of previous export deals.

But Cutillo says the effort required to reactivate the line and its supply chain, particularly if order volumes are low, increases the cost of the helicopter, “making it really out of the market”.

A complicating factor for Leonardo Helicopters is the need to support the UK’s Wildcat fleet in the future.

Its domestic customer operates 62 examples, split between the British Army (34) and Royal Navy (28).

“We have important obligations towards that. We are trying to understand with the customer how we sustainably support that,” says Cutillo.

Besides the Wildcat, the Yeovil factory also builds the larger AW101 Merlin, which has in recent years benefited from orders for new helicopters from Poland and Norway, plus work to support mid-life upgrade (MLU) activities for Canada and Italy.

However, with the bulk of the MLU work set to transfer to those countries, Leonardo Helicopters is banking on new programmes to support Yeovil’s long-term future.

Negotiations with the UK Ministry of Defence on the New Medium Helicopter requirement are ongoing. If successfully concluded, this would see the AW149 built at Yeovil.

Additionally, the Proteus uncrewed helicopter – currently a demonstrator – could offer another workstream for the site if it becomes a production programme.

Nonetheless, with final assembly and test activities representing around 25% of Yeovil’s turnover, there remains a question about its long-term future if new business does not emerge.

Cutillo says the company is not considering “this worst-case scenario”, adding: “At this stage it does not feel realistic.

“But in a couple of years from now, without any products, we will have to take extraordinary action,” he says.



Previous news regarding the deal that was believed to be for Egypt


AW-159_sideview.jpg
 

Follow us on social media

Latest posts

Top Bottom