Piaggio has successfully removed the pilot from the Italian aircraft manufacturer’s popular twin-engine, turboprop, pusher-type executive transport. The P.180 – affectionately referred to as “the flying catfish” – has been redesigned into an unmanned aircraft for the Italian Air Force, and it’s got a new name: the Hammerhead. The new P.1HH HammerHead is a multi-purpose drone powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-66B turboprop engines designed to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions worldwide. Capable of flying up to 45,000 feet with an endurance exceeding 16 hours with an internal payload up to 4,000 lbs, the Hammerhead includes a ground control station that can be interconnected with the drone in Line of Sight or via satellite.
