Turkish manufacturer Baykar, which has risen to fame for its military UAVs, is set to purchase Piaggio Aerospace, which has been under administration since 2018, for an undisclosed sum.
Piaggio Aerospace, based in Genoa, Italy, has faced several years of financial struggle. After declining sales following the late 2000s recession forced the company into administration in 2018, it was eventually put up for sale in 2020. Continuing under the direction of administrators while awaiting a buyer, the company was restructured and new orders secured. By 2022, Piaggio had achieved a turnover of €152 million, and with a now more attractive business for new investors renewed their search for new owners.
Baykar, meanwhile, has enjoyed years of notability and success after their line of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become household names even in non-aviation media. The Bayraktar TB2 in particular has become one of the world’s most prolific medium altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAVs.
With over 300 aircraft of the type in service with various Turkish state services, the UAV has also been exported to nations including Qatar, Romania, Poland, and the UAE. It has dominated the African market, having been delivered to Nigeria, Libya, Somalia, Niger, Morocco, and many others. A number of systems are in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, some of which have been paid for via crowdfunding.
Adolfo Urso, the Italian Minister for Business, celebrated the news: “After six years of waiting, we are giving Piaggio Aerospace a future, a strategic asset for our country, with a long-term production perspective, safeguarding corporate complexes and workforce.”
Three offers were received in the tender process to purchase the company, with Baykar’s bid having been chosen after an evaluation process. The names of the companies who submitted the remaining bids have not been disclosed, but are noted as “international industrial players”.
Baykar CEO, Haluk Bayraktar, hinted that Piaggio as an individual brand will continue into the future as Baykar looks to preserve the company’s historical identity. The new owners will seek to increase Piaggio’s production capacity and provide employment opportunities in Italy. The Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology, Mehmet Fatih Kacır, hopes the acquisition will strengthen friendship between the two nations.
Of particular interest in the years to come will be how this new ownership under a company famous for its unmanned aircraft will affect Piaggio’s existing offerings in this area. Developed from the Piaggio P.180, the unmanned P.1HH Hammerhead first flew in 2013 but a troubled development timeline, and the company’s financial woes, mean no operational aircraft have yet been delivered to customers.
The Hammerhead is a MALE UAV, like the TB2, but importantly is a much larger design with an increased payload, higher service ceiling, and faster operating speed. Both designs have advantages depending on the mission required, so would not necessarily compete with each other.
An improved version, the P.2HH, was revealed in 2018 but has yet to be seen. Baykar may use their expertise in the field to improve upon the P.1HH and P.2HH designs further, and with its marketing prowess and existing customer base could finally get the project fully off the ground.
Italian Air Force becomes the launch customer of Piaggio Aerospace’s P.1HH Unmanned Aerial System @ItalianAirForce pic.twitter.com/SyfiwXG2GK
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— Piaggio Aerospace (@PiaggioA) February 26, 2015
Piaggio in the future
Production of the manned P.180 will likely continue. The Avanti, and improved Avanti II, have proven themselves as a popular option for executive transport in both the civilian and the military/government market. The turboprop engines offer greater efficiency compared to jet powered competitors, but the aircraft’s sleek aerodynamics and pusher-prop configuration mean this efficiency does not come at the cost of speed. Piaggio markets the aircraft as the fastest turboprop aircraft in the world.
The distinctive appearance of the aircraft is an additional driving factor in its popularity. Seen almost as an analogue to extensively styled supercars, the Avanti has frequently been referred to under the moniker ‘Ferrari of the Skies’. This was no doubt also influenced by the financial involvement of Piero Ferrari, the second son of Enzo Ferrari, in producing the aircraft. Ferrari served as President of Piaggio from 1998 until 2015.
Naturally, Piaggio formed a close link to the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team, who counted the manufacturer as a sponsor for a number of years. Driver Felipe Massa was guest of honour at the unveiling of the Avanti II. A number of P.180 Avanti aircraft were used by the team for VIP transport, carrying the famous Prancing Horse logo on the tail.
An additional area of Piaggio’s operations is the maintenance, overhaul, and assembly of aircraft engines. The company holds license agreements with several of the world’s major aircraft engine manufacturers, including Rolls Royce, Honeywell, and Pratt & Whitney, allowing Piaggio to officially act as a parts supplier, maintenance hub, and final assembly point for many widely used jet and turboprop powerplants. Among the most notable contracts secured by Piaggio is the manufacture and supply of parts for the F135 engine used internationally in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
The intended expansion of production facilities in Italy could even see current and future Baykar products assembled on production lines at Piaggio plants. The company’s success is spurring the development of yet more aircraft designs, including the TB3, a naval variant of the TB2. If the TB3 could be locally produced, it may become an attractive purchase for the Italian Navy.
Designed to utilise a ‘ski jump’ ramp for take-off, and able to land on a ship without the assistance of an arresting cable system, the TB3 would seemingly be an easy integration onto the Italian Navy’s Cavour aircraft carrier and Trieste LHD. Operating alongside the F-35B, TB3s would provide additional combat and ISR capability at a lower operational cost compared to the fifth-generation fighters, whose flight hours could be preserved for higher end taskings.
A mixed manned and unmanned carrier air wing is being pursued by many aircraft carrier operators, particularly those, like Italy, who operate STOVL carriers. Unable to field fixed wing airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft like the E-2D Hawkeye, short take-off and landing (STOL) UAVs with integrated radars or radar pods would be a step up from helicopter based AEW solutions.
The Royal Navy intends to operate its AW101 Merlin AEW platform until at least 2029, when it is hoped an unmanned capability will be able to take its place. Italy operated four Merlins in an AEW role for a number of years, but these airframes were quietly placed into storage and the most recent news is that they will have the AEW systems stripped.
