Armed Forces can trust the robust Military-Certified AWHERO to succeed in a wide spectrum of missions, including: Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR), force protection, combat support, route clearance, cargo re-supply, anti-piracy, maritime security, and Beyond Radio Line of Sight (BRLOS) communications relay.

Its operational flexibility comes also into support to Governmental Agencies and commercial Organizations in a range of utility roles including disaster relief, environmental monitoring, support to firefighting, pipeline and powerline monitoring. It is an ideal solution for security missions such as border control, surveillance and aerial monitoring of critical infrastructures.

AWHERO is provided with two modular and high-capacity payload bays (nose and underbelly) capable of carrying multiple and interchangeable sensors among which: Electro-Optical /Infrared (EO/IR), Automatic Identification System (AIS), Electronic Support Measures, Sonobuoy Data Relay, Light Imaging Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and the Leonardo Gabbiano TS Ultra-Light Maritime Radar for unmatched maritime surveillance.

AWHERO is equipped with a wide-band MeshNet data-link ensuring networked connectivity to naval, land and air assets. The data flow is fully compliant to the most relevant STANAG formats including Video, Metadata and Radar data. The dual redundant data-link architecture provides a robust and resilient data dissemination capability for persistent wide area situational awareness even at maximum range.

The fully marinized design of the AWHERO draws on Leonardo’s extensive experience in the development and deployment of naval rotorcraft. System’s features include: full automatic deck takeoff & landing on moving vessels, heavy fuel engine, foldable blades, minimized logistics footprint in the hangar and Control Station designed for the integration with the ship’s Combat Management System in order to provide commanders with a comprehensive multi-domain FIND and FIX capability.