Italy decided to retire its Agusta A129 Mangusta attack helicopters, which is known as T-129 Atak after development program in Turkey. Italian Ministry of Defence has signed an agreement with Leonardo to retire the A-129s, of which Turkey strengthened the engine and indigenized the avionics, then designated as T-129. Under the contract announced on 13 January, the Italian company will manufacture a new exploration and escort helicopter (NEES) for the Italian Army. The company will initially design and develop a prototype, then deliver 48 helicopters to the service. Later on, the A-129s will be retired as of 2025.