Italian HammerHead UAV

When we hear the Piaggio name, we immediately thought of a scooter. However, the Italian leading companies who started their career in the railway industry in 1884, turn out has a lot of experience in the world's aviation industry since the early 20th century. So it is not surprising that now Piaggio took Selex Electronic Systems as a partner to create an unmanned variant of the Avanti II P-180 turboprop aircraft.

P.1HH Hammerhead. (Picture from: http://www.gizmag.com/)

The UAV using an unique pusher engines – the Pratt and Whitney PT6A-66B 850 shaft horsepower engines are mounted backwards, with the propellers in the back of the aircraft. The company claims this arrangement is more efficient and results in a smoother ride as it allows the wing to fly in clean air.

This side view of the HammerHead UAV shows the pusher turboprop engines, each producing 850 hp. (Picture from: http://www.gizmag.com/)

This drone named P.1HH Hammerhead,  the new variant is derived from the Avanti that has been modified in total for its UAS role (Unmanned Aircraft Systems). According to Piaggio, the new version of this UAV will be capable of operating for 16 hours with a variety of payloads including SIGINT and ELINT and able to perform maritime and border surveillance and electronic warfare.

The HammerHead is an unmanned version of the Piaggio Avanti II P-180 aircraft. (Picture from: http://www.gizmag.com/)

Weapons and other external fittings are also mounted on a pole that is installed in the fuselage. This UAV has been developed to capture images at medium altitude, and has a long endurance (MALE) like the MQ-9 Reaper or BAE Systems Mantis.

Both the Italian companies working secretly with funded from their own expense for more than two years. And this plane has been introduced to the public at the IDEX defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi on February 18, 2013 after the launch of the first and trials in Trapani Airbase, Sicily on February 14, 2013.

"There are requirements from various countries to medium altitude, UAS should be durable in the air," said Alberto Galassi, CEO of Piaggio Aero. "We are providing a certified UAV, make this UAV an attractive option."

Hammerhead missions are controlled from the control station that manufactured by Selex, with the line of sight and beyond line of sight by using satellite communications. The mission system developed from the Selex ES skylSTAR system software that enable fitment of various sensors. Selex also provides management and control systems, and air data terminal. According to Piaggio, another changes to the UAV was including the removal UAV's external parts whose will greatly assist in land transport if required (transported).

This is not the first time the plane has been airborne, as on the 8th of August it made a short flight, lifting off and then immediately setting down again on the same runway. The flight on November 14th was more ambitious, as the aircraft climbed away from the airport and cruised over the Mediterranean Sea for about 12 minutes before returning to base and landing safely.

Cruise speed for the test was 170 kts (195 mph or 315 kph), and the landing gear and flaps remained down for the entire flight, which is a normal precaution on first flights. Piaggio plans to begin marketing to potential customers at the Paris Air Show 2014 in June next year.

The UAV is the third development of the Avanti specific variants. In 2012 when the Farnborough Air Show 2012, Abu Dhabi autonomous System Investments (AdasI) revealed its plan to develop a maritime patrol variant of the P-180, and Rockwell Collins has been selected to provide the new avionics equipment for MPA variants. The first flight of this version is planned in 2014. There is also a "flight checker" version of the P-180 for inspection duties. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | PIAGGIO AERO | GIZMAG | FLIGHTGLOBAL]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.