Feb. 18 - Piaggio Aero Industries and Selex ES, a Finmeccanica company, unveiled at IDEX 2013, the defense and security meeting currently held in Abu Dhabi, the new unmanned aircraft Piaggio Aero P.1HH " HammerHead "Unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The P.1HH "HammerHead" program aims at developing an unmanned aircraft system at high performance levels during operational missions of surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance (SIR). After two years of development, the presentation of P.1HH "HammerHead" came a few days after the roll out of the aircraft, which took place on February 14 with the first engines firing test in a base of the Italian Air Force. The first flight of Piaggio Aero P.1HH - UAS is planned for 2013 after the completion of the integration systems for aircraft management and control and the completion of further ground tests. The Piaggio Aero P.1HH "HammerHead" is an aircraft capable of automated taking off and landing, thanks to the Atol Automatic Take Off and Landing System positioned at the high end of MALE (Medium altitude long endurance) aircraft. The UAS can reach a height of 13,700 meters with a stay in the air for over 16 hours. Its missions are managed by a ground station, connected through a communication system of Line of Sight  (LS) and a satellite Beyond Line of Sight (LOS) that allows remote control systems. Much like the Piaggio Aero MAP - Multirole Aircraft Patrol, presented in July 2012, the Piaggio Aero P.1HH "HammerHead" is derived from the P.180 Avanti II platform with a new aerodynamic configuration, a greater wing extension (15.5 m) and a higher payload capacity provided by combining the specific structural configuration to the consolidated turboprop propellers. The outer section of the wings is removable to allow the portability of the aircraft by ground, thus making it possible to use the system in any operating environment. Piaggio Aero will develop a new P.1HH "HammerHead" in partnership with Selex ES, which will provide flight control systems and skyISTAR unmanned navigation and mission (integrated with SeaSpray 7300E radar R, a communication interface and date links). Selex ES will work with Piaggio Aero also on the integration of systems on board.

PIAGGIO AERO INDUSTRIES

Piaggio Aero Industries is engaged in the design, construction and maintenance of aircrafts, engines and structural components. Established in 1998, the company is composed of four business units located in Genoa, Finale Ligure, Naples, and West Palm Beach in the USA (Piaggio America Inc.). Technology and its commitment to research and development, combined with innovative design and style, are the drivers of the success behind Piaggio Aero Industries. The corporate structure is composed of: Tata Limited, a UK company of the Tata Group (the Indian multinational considered one of the largest industrial conglomerates in the world); Mubadala Aerospace, part of Mubadala Development (the strategic investment company of the Abu Dhabi government); and the Ferrari and Di Mase families.