A major milestone in program development toward system certification for Prototype 001

24 February 2015, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Piaggio Aerospace announced today at IDEX 2015 the successful maiden flight of the Prototype 001, a major milestone in the program development of the P.1HH HammerHead Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). The maiden flight was completed in December 2014 at the Trapani Birgi Italian Air Force base.

This achievement came after the completion of the P.1HH UAS demo program and represents the starting point of a comprehensive development and certification flight test campaign, after which Piaggio Aerospace will be in a position to deliver one of the most advanced MALE (Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance) unmanned systems to the market.

Carlo Logli, CEO of Piaggio Aerospace, commented: "The success of the Prototype 001 maiden flight is a fantastic step for the P.1HH program and for our company as a whole. It brings us closer to the achievement of our vision to combine our renowned business aviation capabilities with a primary position in the international surveillance and security industry.

"We are proud of the outstanding results achieved by the Piaggio Aerospace teams over a short period of time, in close cooperation with our partner Finmeccanica - Selex ES and with the invaluable support of the Italian Air Force and the entire Italian Ministry of Defence. Today we have compelling reasons to believe that P.1HH will become the first European state-of-the-art MALE UAS, uniquely suited to perform a wide range of surveillance and security missions at the highest technological level," he continued.

Project Pilot Sergio Paloni, who led the flight crew, said: "We are very pleased with the result of the maiden flight. The aerial vehicle was operated remotely in a seamless way. We were also able to gather significant data, which will enable us to forge ahead with our ambitious development roadmap."

The Prototype 001 is representative of the final aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft including the new, extended span main wing and the control systems on board. During the first flight, the Prototype 001 performed a shakedown flight over the Mediterranean Sea at a significant range of speed and altitude. The main flight objective was to conduct a first check of all the essential functions of the Air Vehicle and Ground Segment.

The aerial vehicle management and control system, data link and ground control station were developed in partnership with Finmeccanica - Selex ES.

-Ends-

About Piaggio Aerospace:
Piaggio Aerospace designs, develops, builds and maintains aircraft, aircraft engines and structural components. Technology and a commitment to research and development combined with innovative design and style, drive the development of Piaggio Aerospace, a main player on the world market for executive planes and special mission aircraft, for aircraft security and reconnaissance systems, and aircraft engines. The company operates from the aerospace centre of excellence at Villanova d'Albenga (Italy), one of the most advanced aerospace manufacturing plants in the world.

Piaggio Aerospace is implementing a business plan oriented towards developing business in response to new market demands. The company's new vision aims to maintain and strengthen its role of main player in business aviation and, at the same time, become a player in the sectors of defence and security and high-technology aircraft engines thanks to such innovative projects as:

·         the new Avanti EVO, the third generation of the iconic Piaggio Aerospace aircraft, the fastest turboprop aircraft with the best performance ever designed and built;

·         Piaggio Aerospace P.1HH HammerHead, a MALE (Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance) class unmanned aircraft designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions

·         Piaggio Aerospace MPA Multirole Patrol Aircraft, a technologically-advanced, high-efficiency plane designed for maritime, coastal and ground patrols equipped for wide-range surveillance missions.

Piaggio Aerospace shareholders are Mubadala Development Company, an Abu Dhabi-based strategic investment and development company, which holds 98.05% of the capital stock, and Piero Ferrari who holds 1.95%.

For more information, please contact:
Piaggio Aerospace
Rossella Daverio
SVP, Communications
Tel. +39 335 7027207
rdaverio@piaggioaerospace.it

© Press Release 2015