06/30/2024. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "Following license-production of the Bell Model 47 under a 1952 agreement, Agusta SpA in Cascina Costa began production of the Bell Model 204B as the Agusta-Bell AB.204B. The Italian made 204B could be fitted with either a Rolls-Royce Bristol Gnome H.1000/1200 or a General Electric T58-GE-3 turboshaft as alternative to the Lycoming T53-11A. It also had standard 242 gal (916 l) fuel tanks. The first AB.204B flew on 10 May, 1961.

A special ASW version, the AB.204AS which flew for the first time in 1965, was also supplied to the Italian and Spanish navies. Powered by a T58-GE-3, it was designed for individual or dual-role search and attack missions and armed with two Mk.44 homing torpedoes. ASW equipment included a dipping sonar, automatic stabilization and approach to hover and all-weather instrumentation and an optional AN/APQ-195 search radar.

Production of the AB.204B began in 1964 and a grand total of 238 was eventually built, a large number of which were delivered on the Italian civil and military markets.

The pictured aircraft was initially built as an AB.204AS and was delivered to the Italian Navy under the serial MM80369. Later it was demilitarized and converted to a standard AB.204B. Registered I-VFMC and coded "VF-31" it was taken on charge of the Nazionale Vigili del Fuoco (National Fire Brigade). Presently it is on display in the Volandia Park Museum at Malpensa Airport near Milan."