As a newly-built maritime patrol aircraft rolls (MPA) out of a Genoa factory, Piaggio is showing off the ground demonstrator of the P.180 Avanti-based surveillance type at the Mubadala stand.
Piaggio is developing the heftier and heavily modified MPA version of the Avanti in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Autonomous System Investments (ADASI).
To accommodate a higher endurance of 8-9h, the MPA maximum take-off weight grows by more than one-third to 7,480kg (16,500lb).
The weight increase drove Piaggio to extend the size of the wingspan, canard and tailplane. Pratt & Whitney replaces an 850shp turboprop engine with a 950shp version, including a five-bladed Hartzell scimitar propeller.
In the cockpit, the demonstrator on display reveals the new lay-out with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics suite, replace the Pro Line 21 system. The MPA version an upgraded copy of the touch-screen system developed for the Beechcraft King Air.
The avionics suite is integrated with the Saab-designed mission control system. As targets are identified, the system can alert the flight management system to change the flight plan.
The controls integrate a suite of sensors anchored by the Telephonics 1700-G2 radar, a mechanically-scanned system with inverse synthetic aperture radar capable of tracking up to 1,000 targets.
The operating concept begins with building a maritime picture based on an automatic information system (AIS) receiver delivered by Saab. Any vessels detected by the radar that are not reporting their position on AIS are identified.
The radar cues a vision identification of the target using a FLIR Systems StarSafire 380HD sensor.
Target information is sent via satellite or UHF-band radio to a ground station.
Source: Flight Daily News
