Innovation To Craft The Future

In a change that embraces its illustrious past and bright new future, the aviation manufacturer Piaggio Aero has unveiled its new identity at the National Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition 2014 in Orlando. Piaggio Aero Industries  has become Piaggio Aerospace which reaffirms its commitment to making superbly crafted and innovative aircraft, and underscores its unique positioning to enter new market sectors with distinctive aerospace products.

The new Piaggio Aerospace identity reflects significant changes taking place at the company to position it for major growth in new markets and territories, expanding its product portfolio and bringing together its numerous strengths under one roof.

Alongside the iconic Avanti EVO twin-turboprop business aircraft, Piaggio Aerospace is the only aircraft manufacturer that also builds parts, final assembles and maintain Aero Engines. The company is making major advances in the development of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance platforms both manned and unmanned, based on  the fully certified civilian platform  P.180 Avanti. Piaggio Aerospace is also one of the few companies in the world that owns the technology and expertise to develop, manufacture and support a Medium Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial System.

Alberto Galassi, Chairman of Piaggio Aerospace, said: “Piaggio has a history of elite craftsmanship and continuous  innovation. The evolution to Piaggio Aerospace embraces every moment of our distinguished history and embraces our continuing evolution. Thanks to the support of our shareholders, Piaggio Aerospace is better prepared than ever to expand and reaffirm its commitment to making superbly crafted, innovative aircraft and highly technological aerospace products.”

Carlo Logli, Chief Executive Officer of Piaggio Aerospace, said: “The emergence of a new identity for Piaggio Aerospace is perfectly timed to signify the major changes taking place within the Company to prepare it for a bright and rising future. Already this year we have seen a historical move to bring all our manufacturing facilities under one roof with the construction of an advanced manufacturing facility in Villanova d’Albenga, Italy,  from where we will deliver our cutting age business aviation and security and defense aircraft”

Piaggio Aerospace is implementing an industrial  plan focused on the development of existing core activities and new programs in line with industry requirements. The Company’s major projects are:

• The new Avanti EVO twin turboprop business aircraft: perfection  through evolution . The Avanti EVO is the fastest and most efficient aircraft its type in the world, able to  fly to 403KTAS for fuel burn rates significantly below that of competing jets. The Avanti EVO continues Piaggio Aerospace’s tradition of remarkably efficient and beautiful design and manufacturing, and was unveiled at EBACE 2014. It moves to new heights the efficiency, speed, comfort, and serenity of one of the most distinctive and famous aircraft in the world. The aircraft is in flight testing, and certification is expected shortly.
• The Piaggio Aerospace P.1HH HammerHead – A new and unique state-of-the-art Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) designed for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions whose combination of performance and operational characteristics is at the very top end of the MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance)  category. P.1HH HammerHead is a new concept that offers much wider options to operators than traditional restrictive UAS designs. Its all-weather design can dash to target at over  390 KTAS, or loiter for up to 16 hours, with the surety of a platform tested and certified for civilian passenger use and the fastest of its type by far in the sector. The first flight of the P.1HH DEMO has been performed in November 2013 while the first flight of the P.1HH HammerHead full representative  prototype is expected this year.
• The Piaggio Aerospace MPA (Multirole Patrol Aircraft) – A technologically advanced and super efficient twin turboprop designed to satisfy requirements from security and enforcement operators, from peacekeeping to intelligence scenarios, to ultra-long loiter surveillance and  patrol missions. It is the  most efficient  patrol aircraft on the market, and can carry a wide range of special systems and sensors with plenty of space for crew and operators for up to 10 hours mission times.
• Engine  Parts manufacturing Assembly & Test and MRO  – Piaggio Aerospace is unique among aircraft manufacturers in assembling and testing complete New Build Engines, under license agreements with Honeywell Rolls Royce, and Pratt & Whitney Canada. These agreements allow the company to build and supply part engine assemblies (modules) as well as fully assembled, tested, and certified complete engines.  Piaggio Aerospace manufactures  engines components for Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney , Pratt & Whitney Canada, Rolls-Royce, Turbomeca on a wide range of projects including the F-135 engines powering the F35 Lightning II multirole fighter. Within Piaggio Aerospace’s aero engine portfolio of capability the MRO facility benefits from long standing experience on major maintenance, repair and overhaul for a wide variety of engine types covered under license agreements from strip to full rebuild and certification.

FMI: www.piaggioaero.com