New Bundesheer helicopters

Van der Bellen on maiden flight with “Leonardo”

(Bild: krone.tv)

Lightning storms and heavy rain around the Leopold Figl airbase in Langenlebarn (Lower Austria). But the first test flight of the Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian Armed Forces in the "Leonardo AW-169" helicopter can be launched despite the most adverse weather conditions - after all, this is no "fair-weather helicopter".

The helicopter soars calmly into the air. President Alexander Van der Bellen calmly observes the pilots' activities. The five-ton colossus glides slowly at 260 km/h towards Aigen in Styria, where twelve of the 36 helicopters ordered in Italy will be stationed.

Van der Bellen gazes with interest at the mountain landscape. Two Eurofighters appear out of nowhere to briefly reinforce the "Black Hawk" air escort.

"The necessary modernization of the air force has picked up speed," sums up the President, "this helicopter was the right choice. It can fly at night and in bad weather, is suitable for troop transportation, disaster relief, firefighting and mountain rescue. And in the armed version, it offers protection from the air."

In conclusion, Van der Bellen professes his support for the Sky Shield missile defense system, which is very much compatible with our neutrality. In the rain, he then expresses his thanks to "his soldiers" - after all, he is not a "fair-weather president".