Leonardo has inaugurated a new plant in Pisa dedicated to the development and production of the AWHERO remotely piloted helicopter. During the ceremony, in the presence of national and local authorities including the President of the Tuscany Region Enrico Rossi and the Deputy Mayor of Pisa Raffaella Bonsangue, and industry representatives, the first pre-production helicopter was also officially presented. Alessandro Profumo, Leonardo's Managing Director, declared: “I am delighted to inaugurate this new structure because it is representative of the path Leonardo is taking: we invest in latest generation technologies and highly qualified resources to respond to a rapidly growing market. The unmanned aircraft sector is one of the pillars of our growth strategy and we want to become the market leader in this field”.
The opening of the plant, with a workforce of 60 people, and the presentation of the first helicopter with even more advanced capabilities represent two important milestones for AWHERO, a program that has grown significantly over the years. Launched in 2012 as part of a joint venture with IDS SpA, Sistemi Dinamici SpA, this program was fully acquired by Leonardo in 2016. With the AWHERO Leonardo has expanded the range of remotely piloted helicopters, which also includes the SW -4 Solo, and consolidated its capabilities as a systems integrator, developing platforms, equipment and sensors and thus becoming even more competitive in a rapidly growing market. The opening of the new factory in Pisa also expands Leonardo's presence in Tuscany, where the company designs and manufactures a wide range of products in the defense, security and space sectors with over 1800 employees in the existing headquarters in Campi Bisenzio ( Florence), Montevarchi (Arezzo) and Livorno.
Compared to the original variant and which has flown so far, the presented pre-production AWHERO and weighing around 200 kg, it is the first with a modified structure and aerodynamics, a new fuel system, a new tail rotor drive shaft and a new liquid-cooled engine. This helicopter performed its maiden flight, lasting 10 minutes, at Nettuno, near Rome, in December 2018. A second pre-production helicopter will fly in a few months pending Italian military certification expected at the end of 2019.
