Piaggio Rolls Out MPA

Pia Bergqvist

Tuesday, November 10, 2015 at 09:54 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Piaggio has rolled out its new Multirole Patrol Aircraft (MPA), developed in partnership with ADASI, designed for diverse military missions including maritime patrol, ground surveillance, and tactical ISR.
The MPA is a heavily modified P.180 Avanti, featuring a significantly wider wingspan, increased fuel capacity, and more powerful engines, aiming to be the fastest special mission turboprop on the market.
It boasts a wide speed envelope, a targeted maximum range of over 3,300 nm, and endurance of up to 10 hours, integrating advanced systems like Rockwell Collins' Pro Line Fusion avionics and SAAB's mission management system.

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Italian aircraft manufacturer Piaggio rolled out its Multirole Patrol Aircraft (MPA) today at the company’s headquarters in Genoa. The MPA was developed with Abu Dhabi Autonomous System Investments (ADASI) and is compatible with the unmanned HammerHead system.

A modified version of the P.180 Avanti twin-pusher turboprop, the MPA has a 50-percent wider wingspan, 35-percent larger tail section, 20-percent larger forward wing surfaces and an increase in the fuel capacity of 50 percent. In addition, the MPA will be powered by the more powerful 950 shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66B engines and counter-rotating Hartzell five-blade scimitar propellers.