Piaggio Aero has flown a technology demonstrator of its P.1HH HammerHead unmanned air vehicle for the first time – releasing video of the 14 November maiden sortie at the show yesterday.
The airframer – which is partnering with fellow Italian firm Selex ES on developing the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft – says the 12min flight, from an airbase in Sicily, is “a fundamental milestone that paves the way to the next phase of the programme”.
That is likely to consist of a second flight of the demonstrator in December and a flight of the full production prototype early in the second quarter of 2014.
Last week’s flight, controlled from the ground by a pilot and flight engineer, was performed in mid-flap configuration with landing gear extended. After taking off at a rotation speed of 110kt, the aircraft flew over the Mediterranean in military airspace, reaching an altitude of 2,000ft and a speed of 170kt.