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Piaggio Aerospace has delivered its first P180 twin-turboprop aircraft that will be upgraded to the upgraded Avanti II for the Italian Air Force.
Announcing the progression on Nov. 30, the Italian planemaker said it had finalized upgrade, flight and certification activities for the new standard, which will be rolled out on 12 more Avanti Is for the same customer.
An image released by the company identifies the aircraft – which is shown with a temporary civilian registration – as MSN1053. Cirium fleets data records this as in-service MM66201: a 19 year-old airframe ordinarily employed as a training asset at Pratica di Mare, near Rome.
“The delivery represents a milestone in the long-term modernization program of the Italian Armed Forces,” Piaggio said.
In the same vein, the company indicates that the first of 15 new Avanti Evo aircraft ordered from the Roman army left its production plant in Villanova d’Albenga at the end of November to be painted and tested at its headquarters in Genoa.
Common equipment used on the II+ and Evo+ standards include “updated avionics, a landing gear with enhanced steering and anti-skid systems, and new, more efficient brakes”, Piaggio says.
Seoul has requested to purchase a suite of air and ground attack munitions for its F-35 fighter fleet, including AMRAAM missiles, JDAM bombs, Paveway II laser-guided bombs and Small Diameter Bomb glide munitions, valued at $271 million by US arms regulators.
The planned new national carrier, KM Malta Airlines, is expected to open its bookings in December after obtaining its Air Operator Certificate.
European budget airline Volotea has appointed David González, Chief Commercial Officer, to the newly created role of CEO, where he will coordinate the company’s global commercial, strategic, operational and cargo activities.
Germany’s collaboration with France on long-term maritime patrol projects “is not over”, insists the head of its naval air arm; Berlin has recently increased its commitment to the Boeing P-8A Poseidon submarine fighter jet.
The UK Royal Air Force’s maritime patrol aircraft fleet is to gain a new anti-submarine/anti-surface strike capability, in the guise of BAE Systems’ Sting Ray Mod 1 lightweight torpedo.
NH Industries (NHI) is confident that it will be able to meet the strict delivery deadline set through its German Navy visitor for the new NH90 Sea Tiger to enable the decommissioning of the aging Westland Sea Lynx helicopter fleet in 2026 without creating a capacity gap.
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