(Jul. 13) – Piaggio Aero today announced the signature of a contract with the Abu Dhabi Autonomous System Investments (ADASI), a subsidiary of Tawazun, for the development of a new special missions surveillance aircraft, the Piaggio Aero MPA – Multirole Patrol Aircraft. The comprehensive contract covers the complete development of the MPA aircraft, including the roll out of two prototypes with first flight scheduled for 2014. “I’m proud that Piaggio Aero has been selected by ADASI, the company that manages many complex programs for the UAE Armed Forces and is forming joint ventures with internationally recognized companies. The newly designed Piaggio Aero MPA aircraft will allow us to enter the surveillance sector and diversify our business profile with the development of this new state of the art multirole platform” said Alberto Galassi, Piaggio Aero CEO “I’m also pleased to welcome SAAB as our partner in this challenging new aircraft.” The Defense and Security company Saab has been selected as the MPA systems supplier after an extensive international evaluation process. Piaggio Aero and Saab have joined forces to develop and integrate a full suite of sophisticated airborne sensors and surveillance systems. Saab’s proven experience in special mission equipment will allow Piaggio Aero to deliver to ADASI the most advanced, cost effective state of the art aircraft for surveillance missions. (Red)
