North Macedonia signs helicopter contract with Leonardo

Seen here in Italian service, the AW169M will soon be fielded by North Macedonia alongside the AW149 under a deal finalised on 26 March. (Bundesheer Fotos)

North Macedonia finalised its agreement to acquire eight new battlefield lift helicopters from Leonardo on 26 March, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on the same day.

The deal to buy four AW149 and four AW169M helicopters was signed between the North Macedonian Minister of Defence, Slavjanka Petrovska, and the vice-president of Leonardo, Cesare Cacha, in Skopje.

The milestone came weeks after the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (ARNM) selected the Italian-built helicopters in January to replace Soviet-built airframes operated by the Aviation Brigade of the ARNM.

Deliveries will take place from August 2026 through to the end of 2028. Petrovska initially said the deal was valued at an estimated EUR230 million (USD250.5 million), but this has since risen to EUR249.9 million.

For more information on the Aviation Brigade of the ARNM, please seeNorth Macedonia - Air Force.