Successfully completed the first flight campaign conducted to test satellite control of a European class MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drone, designed for long-duration missions at medium altitude. This was announced by Leonardo who, in a team with Telespazio (Leonardo 67%, Thales 33%) and Piaggio Aerospace, led the activity using a remote pilot aircraft P.1HH HammerHead as a test bed for the development, integration and verification of capacity that enable drones to fly safely in non-segregated airspace outside the terrestrial radio coverage (BRLOS mode - Beyond Radio Line Of Sight).
The experimentation, carried out at the Trapani Birgi airport to verify on the field the effectiveness of satellite technology in various dual-use application areas, is part of the path traced by the European research project DeSIRE II (https://business.esa.int/projects/desire-ii), led by Telespazio and jointly promoted by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Defense Agency (EDA) to support the standardization and regulation processes in the drone sector.
Thanks to a bidirectional communication network developed by the Leonardo-controlled company, leader in space services, it was possible to communicate to the P.1HH the information necessary for the use of the aircraft and its sensors and on-board systems, and to transmit from the drone to earth the data acquired in flight. For the control of the aircraft and the transmission of the payload data, the P.1HH ground station used the resources of the Athena-Fidus satellite, managed by the Space Center of Fucino di Telespazio.
The success of the experiment confirms Leonardo's positioning as a key player in the development of integrated capabilities, products and services based on drones thanks to its ability to guarantee the flights of unmanned systems even in BRLOS mode and represents a step forward towards the future use of airplanes remotely piloted in support of public service missions such as environmental monitoring, surveillance, emergency management.
