In a major blow to the Italian aircraft manufacturer Piaggio Aerospace, the prototype P.1HH HammerHead UAV has crashed to sea while flight ...
In a major blow to the Italian aircraft manufacturer Piaggio Aerospace, the prototype P.1HH HammerHead UAV has crashed to sea while flight testing near Sicily on Tuesday.
Based on Piaggio's P180 Avanti II business jet, the medium altitude long endurance UAV was operating from Vincenzo Florio airport in Trapani, Sicily.
Six and eight examples of the surveillance UAV has been ordered by Italian and UAE Air Forces respectively.
Crash of the only flying prototype will delay delivery, which was scheduled for 2018.
The aircraft can be equipped with EO/IR (Electro-Optical Infra-Red) cameras, radar and advanced communications systems required for long range surveillance missions.
Piaggio claims the HammerHead to be first advanced European MALE UAV, superior than the American Predator and Israeli Heron UAVs as it has the redundancy of two engines, de-icing and faster at 400 knots speed.
The prototype first flew in December 2015 and the program had clocked more than 100 flight hours, which earlier had an technology demonstrator aircraft.
The P.1HH features automatic take-off and landing capabilities, making it able to fly up to 45,000 feet, with an outstanding endurance of 16 flight hours.
Based on Piaggio's P180 Avanti II business jet, the medium altitude long endurance UAV was operating from Vincenzo Florio airport in Trapani, Sicily.
Six and eight examples of the surveillance UAV has been ordered by Italian and UAE Air Forces respectively.
Crash of the only flying prototype will delay delivery, which was scheduled for 2018.
The aircraft can be equipped with EO/IR (Electro-Optical Infra-Red) cameras, radar and advanced communications systems required for long range surveillance missions.
Piaggio claims the HammerHead to be first advanced European MALE UAV, superior than the American Predator and Israeli Heron UAVs as it has the redundancy of two engines, de-icing and faster at 400 knots speed.
The prototype first flew in December 2015 and the program had clocked more than 100 flight hours, which earlier had an technology demonstrator aircraft.
The P.1HH features automatic take-off and landing capabilities, making it able to fly up to 45,000 feet, with an outstanding endurance of 16 flight hours.
