Elicotteri Meridionali
Agusta’s southern outpost, born of a 1960s plan to industrialise the Italian south, built Boeing’s twin-rotor Chinook under licence for the Italian Army and the Shah’s Iran.
Elicotteri Meridionali: the company and the aircraft that made its name
Helicopters for the Mezzogiorno
Elicotteri Meridionali, literally Southern Helicopters, was created by Agusta in 1963 as part of Italy’s drive to bring industry to the poorer south. Its factory at Frosinone, between Rome and Naples, opened in October 1967, and its everyday work was the overhaul and maintenance of helicopters belonging to the Italian state services. That might have been all, had the company not landed a licence that put one of the world’s biggest helicopters on a southern Italian production line.
The Chinook in Frosinone
In April 1968 Elicotteri Meridionali agreed to build the Boeing Vertol CH-47C Chinook under licence, for the Italian Army and for Imperial Iran. By 1970 it was the named manufacturer of the 44-seat CH-47C for both domestic and export customers. In 1969 the company also took a significant stake in the Iranian Helicopter Industry company at Mehrabad airport in Tehran, and a holding in SIAI-Marchetti, tying it into Agusta’s wider web of interests.
A one-off and an absorption
Its one design of its own came with Agusta: the EMA 124, a three-seat light helicopter derived from the Bell 47 that Agusta built under licence. The single prototype first flew on 28 May 1970, registered I-EMAF, but nothing further came of it. Elicotteri Meridionali was gradually folded into the Agusta group, which passed to Finmeccanica in 1994 and joined Westland to form AgustaWestland in 2000.
Elicotteri Meridionali in numbers
La empresa
- En breve
- Founded 1963
- Created by Agusta under the southern-industrialisation programme
- Frosinone factory opened October 1967
- Absorbed into the Agusta group
Producción
- Más conocido por
- CH-47C Chinook
- Licence agreement for the CH-47C signed April 1968
- EMA 124 light helicopter prototype, 1970
- Overhaul of Italian state helicopters
Hoy
- Ahora
- Part of Agusta lineage
- Agusta merged with Westland to form AgustaWestland, 2000
Every notable Elicotteri Meridionali aircraft
| Aeronave | Role | Primer vuelo | Construido | Estado | Nota |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing Vertol CH-47C Chinook | Heavy-lift helicopter (licence) | Built for the Italian Army and Iran | |||
| Meridionali/Agusta EMA 124 | Three-seat light helicopter | 1970 | 1 | Jubilado | Bell 47 derivative; single prototype I-EMAF |
Elicotteri Meridionali aircraft in the world’s air forces
1 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew Elicotteri Meridionali types. Ninguno de ellos todavía tiene uno en servicio.
| Fuerzas aéreas | En servicio | Anteriormente volado |
|---|---|---|
| Fuerza Aérea Libia | Elicottero Meridionali CH-47C Chinook |
Where Elicotteri Meridionali built, who led it, what it achieved
Fábricas
- Frosinone works · Frosinone, Lazio — Opened October 1967
Elicotteri Meridionali, year by year
Founded as an Agusta subsidiary
Frosinone factory opens
CH-47C Chinook licence agreed for Italy and Iran
Stakes taken in Iranian Helicopter Industry and SIAI-Marchetti
EMA 124 prototype first flight
Parent Agusta passes from EFIM to Finmeccanica
Agusta and Westland form AgustaWestland
Before and after Elicotteri Meridionali
Everything people ask about Elicotteri Meridionali
What did Elicotteri Meridionali build?
Where was Elicotteri Meridionali based?
Who owned Elicotteri Meridionali?
Which countries received Italian-built Chinooks?
Around Elicotteri Meridionali
Todos los datos, verificados
- Elicotteri Meridionali — Wikipedia (Italian)
- Meridionali/Agusta EMA 124 — Wikipedia
- Elicotteri Meridionali — Aviastar
Verificado el 3 de octubre de 2026.