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Italy Leonardo
AW101 Merlin
Three-engine medium-lift helicopter jointly developed by Italy's Leonardo (Agusta) and the UK's Westland for naval anti-submarine warfare, troop transport and VIP roles. It serves as the Italian Navy's primary shipborne ASW helicopter and the UK's Merlin, alongside export sales to Japan, Denmark and Norway.
In service since 1999 · 9 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
309
km/h
1,389
km range
4,575
m ceiling
💲 ≈ $60,000,000 — Approximate unit cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Italian export-licensed
UAMA authorisation; standard EU/Wassenaar controls.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Established · 9 operators
In service since 1999. Status: active · ~220 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$150M – $210M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 309 km/h Stronger than 66% of helicopters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 1,389 km Top 6% of helicopters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 4,575 m Stronger than 26% of helicopters
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 22.8 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 6.62 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 10,500 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 15,600 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 4
- Troop capacity
Number of embarked troops/passengers (IFV, APC, transport). Higher carries more.
- 30 Stronger than 82% of helicopters
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 3× Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 turboshaft
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 3
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turboshaft
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- Search-water 2000 surveillance radar
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- dipping sonar, sonobuoy processor, FLIR
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $60,000,000 Stronger than 19% of helicopters
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 220 Stronger than 62% of helicopters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 9 Stronger than 73% of helicopters
Specifications compiled from public Leonardo and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Leonardo AW101 Merlin? +
The Leonardo AW101 Merlin has a maximum speed of 309 km/h.
What is the range of the Leonardo AW101 Merlin? +
The Leonardo AW101 Merlin has a maximum range of 1,389 km.
How much does the Leonardo AW101 Merlin weigh? +
The Leonardo AW101 Merlin has a combat weight of 15,600 kg.
How many crew does the Leonardo AW101 Merlin require? +
The Leonardo AW101 Merlin requires a crew of 4.
What engine does the Leonardo AW101 Merlin use? +
The Leonardo AW101 Merlin is powered by the 3× Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 turboshaft.
What is the Leonardo AW101 Merlin used for? +
The Leonardo AW101 Merlin is a helicopter typically used for anti ship.
How many countries operate the Leonardo AW101 Merlin? +
The Leonardo AW101 Merlin is operated by 9 countries.
How much does the Leonardo AW101 Merlin cost? +
The Leonardo AW101 Merlin has an approximate unit cost of 60,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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