Piaggio P.1HH HammerHead unmanned aerial system conducts successful test flight

The new P.1HH HammerHead, a multi-purpose MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drone based on the Piaggio P-180 Avanti twin-engine turboprop plane has conducted a successful test flight from Trapani airbase, in Sicily, on Nov. 14.

The UAS (Unmanned Aerial System), unveiled earlier this year, is designed to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions and believed to be capable of flying up to 45,000 feet for more than 16 hours.

Italy plans to purchase 10 such drones for reconnaissance and immigration control.

Image credit: Finmeccanica

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About David Cenciotti
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.