Piaggio Aero, together with Selex ES, announced at last week’s Dubai Airshow that the P.1HH HammerHead Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) has achieved the demonstration and validation phase of the program with the maiden flight of the P.1HH DEMO, Piaggio’s UAV technology demonstrator.

The flight readiness of the P.1HH DEMO flight test bed had been confirmed by the first flight, which occurred on Thursday 14th November 2013, at the Trapani (Italy) “Birgi” Italian Air Force base.

The P.1HH DEMO UAV has taken off at a rotation speed of 110 kts and performed a flight over the Mediterranean Sea for approximately 12 minutes, while being remotely piloted from the Ground Control Station, which allowed for testing of the navigation system and verification of maneuvering capabilities in both manual and automatic flight modes.

The flight was performed in mid-flap configuration with landing gear extended. The aircraft reached an altitude of 2,000 ft. and a speed of 170 Kts, flying at12 miles from the base. The UAS landed at 1.15 pm at the Trapani military airport completing its first flight test. A joint team from Piaggio Aero and Selex ES, a Finmeccanica Company, conducted the fight operations.

“The success of this first flight test brings us closer to providing  the first European  developed  state of the art MALE  UAS,  capable of performing at the highest technological  level  aerial, land, coastal, maritime, offshore, COMINT/ELINT and electronic warfare missions ” said Alberto Galassi, CEO of Piaggio Aero.

“This has been an incredible year for Selex ES unmanned ISTAR capability. Our deep knowledge of UAS and capacity to deliver integrated systems are at the centre of this ambitious project, a real cornerstone in the European and international MALE scenario. Furthermore, our flagship tactical UAS has secured new customers and our ISR sensors range continues to grow,” said Fabrizio Giulianini, CEO of Selex ES.

The first flight of the P.1HH DEMO technology demonstrator marks the beginning of the next phase of the development of the P.1HH HammerHead UAS program in preparation for operational readiness to be achieved by the end of 2014.

The P.1HH HammerHead is a multipurpose state-of-the-art Unmanned Aerial System designed to meet the need for a high-tech solution for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions (ISR). The P.1HH remotely piloted aircraft 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. The UAS systems will be fully compliant with the STANAG USAR 4671 standards that enable the UAV to fly in both restricted and unrestricted flight areas.

The vehicle management and control system, air data terminal and the ground control segment for the P.1HH HammerHead have been developed and supplied by Selex ES.

Sensor fusion, data management and exploitation features of skyISTAR enable highly effective border control, wide area surveillance, targeted surveillance, environmental and disaster control missions. Selex ES provides an outstanding contribution thanks to its capabilities, products and experience in developing and manufacturing UAS surveillance systems, and contributing to its avionics/ mission system and its sensor suite, featuring SeaSpray 7300E Radar, Comms and customized Data Link solutions.

The P.1HH HammerHead UAS platform is a derivative of the Piaggio Aero P.180 Avanti II aircraft, newly designed for ISR multi mission purposes. It’s suited for a wide range of surveillance intelligence, reconnaissance and security missions and will be developed and brought to market by Piaggio Aero with a variety of operational capabilities individually tailored to specific customer requirements.