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Aviation / Aerospace

Piaggio P.180 Avanti

Twin-Engine Turboprop VIP Transport Aircraft [ 1990 ]

Introduced in 1990, the P.180 Avanti has found its niche in both military and civilian markets.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/06/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from official Piaggio marketing material.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

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The Italian-originated Piaggio P.180 "Avanti" serves global markets in the niche - though potentially lucrative - executive / VIP passenger transport role. It was designed by Alessandro Mazzoni and attempts to compete with jet-powered bizjets across the world relying instead on a twin turboprop engine configuration - these arranged as "pushers" facing the rear of the aircraft. A first-flight was recorded on September 23rd, 1986 and series introduction began on September 30th, 1990. It has remained in production since 1986 and has seen a modest total of 220 units completed for various customers in Bulgaria, Canada, Italy, Poland, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. It has also garnered some interest at the military level (the UAE uses two as part of its air force inventory) and has been developed into the crew-less P.1HH "Hammerhead" ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) drone system.

A Brief Piaggio History
Piaggio Aerospace has a history dating back to its founding by Rinaldo Piaggio in 1884 and was a primary aero-industry player of the Kingdom of Italy throughout World War 2 (1939-1945). It managed to survive the gutting of the Italian war machine of the post-World War 2 world and lived on through the Cold War period to the modern age where, today, it focuses on civilian and business market products like the P.180.

The financial boom of the 1980s prompted aircraft manufactures to satisfy a growing market need for sleek and fast VIP transports. Piaggio engineers went to work as early as 1979 on design studies which would eventually lead to the Avanti. This work spanned into 1981 and a patent for the unique design was secured in 1982. Development then proceeded with physical construction of the various aircraft components resulting in a prototype being made ready in 1986. A first-flight then followed. Civil market certification was not reached until 1990 however. The program suffered delays when, in 1994, financial woes struck the Avanti Aviation Wichita branch in the United States at which point Ferrari came to the rescue in 1998. From then on, the Avanti line has more or less been secured.

P.180 walk-Around
The P-180 has a wholly unique appearance as VIP transports go: its nose cone is well-sloped ahead of the cockpit offering excellent vision for the flight crew. There is a small forward wing at the nose which creates a triple-plane configuration for the aircraft. The fuselage is relatively short, squat and tapered at both ends to promote a futuristic-like look for the compact business aircraft. The mid-mounted wing mainplanes are situated well-aft of midships and involve straight planes with clipped tips and engine nacelles running from ahead of the leading edges to well past the trailing edges. The nacelles are streamlined for aerodynamic efficiency and the engines arranged in a pusher configuration, driving multi-bladed propeller units. The tail consists of a T-style (Multhopp Tail) unit seating the horizontal planes at the very top of the single vertical fin. Delta-shaped near-ventral fins accompany the tail unit at the rear for additional stability. A tricycle landing gear is used for ground-running.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Inside the Avanti
The cockpit can hold two pilots side-by-side. The forward panel is dominated by three large multi-color display units offering pertinent mission statuses and performance figures. Each seat position is given a traditional yoke column with easy-to-reach thumb-accessible controls. The throttle quadrant is kept between the two positions so as to be shared by either crew member. To large windows are provided ahead of the cockpit which offer excellent vision. The downward sloping nature of the nosecone accentuates views, particularly for look-down. For the passengers, there is a single-aisle seating arrangement complete with lavatory and galley. Rounded windows provide viewing out of the fuselage and entry/exit is by way of a rectangular access door along the portside of the fuselage (just aft of the cockpit).

Avanti Series Variants
The initial production models were designated simply as P.180 "Avanti". A militarized form emerged as the P.180M and was given a fuselage which could be modified for passenger or light cargo usage. The P.180RM was developed for radio calibration and the P.180AMB is to serve in the air ambulance role. The P.180APH is another specialized Avanti platform, this one intended for aerial cartography. The P.180 "Avanti II" is an all-modern update of the original P.180 complete with better avionics and improved engine performance. This form secured its civil certification in 2005. The P.180MPA (detailed elsewhere on this site), based in the Avanti II, is a military market form intended for the maritime patrol role. Uprated PWC turboprops are used for improved performance and five-bladed propeller (Hartzell) complete its design. Saab provides the electronics fit and Rockwell Collins the avionics suite.

The P.180 Avanti EVO is the currently-marketed form of the Avanti line. It has a crew of one or two with seating for seven to nine passengers. Empty weight is 8,375lb against an MTOW of 12,100lb. Power is from 2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66B turboprop engines developing 850 horsepower. Maximum speed is 460 miles per hour with a cruising speed of 365 miles per hour. Range is out to 1,530 miles (ferry) and its service ceiling is 41,000 feet. The P.180 is marketed as the fastest turbo-prop powered business aircraft with performance akin to some jet types. It is also said to run quieter and more efficiently than its jet-powered brethren - certainly putting it ahead of the pack. The Avanti managed a cost-to-coast American trip in under four hours (officially 3:51).

The Unmanned P.1HH Hammerhead
The P.1HH "Hammerhead" (detailed elsewhere on this site), as mentioned above, is an in-development drone form of the P.180 Avanti II airframe. It is being designed to carry munitions for attack missions but can also undertake scouting and intelligence/reconnaissance roles as well. Debuted publicly at Paris Air Show 2013, a first-flight of this system was had during December of 2013 and the launch customer appears to be the Italian Air Force which has contracted for three of the type. The UAE has ordered eight of its own. The program suffered a notable setback in May of 2016 when the sole prototype crashed during testing. The second prototype then followed it into the air in July of 2017.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

December 2019 - A contract was signed with the Italian Ministry of Defense for nine Piaggio Avanti EVO aircraft.

October 2021 - The Italian military has contracted for an additional six P.180 aircraft.

Specifications

Service Year

1990

Origin

Italy

Status

ACTIVE
In Active Service.

Crew

2

Production

250
UNITS

Piaggio Aero - Italy

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

National flag of the United Arab Emirates

Bulgaria; Canada; Italy; Poland; Russia; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Commercial Aviation
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.

✓ BizJet
Used in roles serving the business aviation market, primarily VIP and regional travel.

✓ VIP Service
Used in the Very-Important-Person (VIP) passenger transport role, typically with above-average amenities and luxuries as standard.

✓ Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

RADAR-CAPABLE

Houses, or can house (through specialized variants), radar equipment for searching, tracking, and engagement of enemy elements.

MULTI-ENGINE

Incorporates two or more engines, enhancing survivability and / or performance.

WINGLETS

Mainplanes capped with winglets, providing improved fuel efficiency and enhanced handling.

CANARDS

Small foreplanes ahead of the mainplanes reduce wing-loading and / or enhance maneuverability during high angle-of-attack or stall actions.

HIGH-SPEED PERFORMANCE

Can accelerate to higher speeds than average aircraft of its time.

HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE

Can reach and operate at higher altitudes than average aircraft of its time.

EXTENDED RANGE PERFORMANCE

Capability to travel considerable distances through onboard fuel stores.

SUPER PERFORMANCE

Design covers the three all-important performance categories of speed, altitude, and range.

MARITIME OPERATION

Ability to operate over ocean in addition to surviving the special rigors of the maritime environment.

CREWSPACE PRESSURIZATION

Supports pressurization required at higher operating altitudes for crew survival.

ENCLOSED CREWSPACE(S)

Features partially- or wholly-enclosed crew workspaces.

RETRACTABLE UNDERCARRIAGE

Features retracting / retractable undercarriage to preserve aerodynamic efficiency.

Length

47.2 ft
(14.40 m)

Width/Span

45.9 ft
(14.00 m)

Height

13.0 ft
(3.95 m)

Empty Wgt

7,496 lb
(3,400 kg)

MTOW

11,552 lb
(5,240 kg)

Wgt Diff

+4,057 lb
(+1,840 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Piaggio P.180 Avanti production variant)

monoplane / mid-mounted / straight

Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represent the most popular mainplane arrangement.

Mid-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted along the midway point of the sides of the fuselage.

Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.

(Structural descriptors pertain to the base Piaggio P.180 Avanti production variant)

Installed: 2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66 turboprop engines developing 850 horsepower each.

Max Speed

457 mph
(735 kph | 397 kts)

Cruise Speed

388 mph
(625 kph | 337 kts)

Max. Speed Diff

+68 mph
(+110 kph | 59 kts)

Ceiling

41,010 ft
(12,500 m | 8 mi)

Range

1,740 mi
(2,800 km | 5,186 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

2,955 ft/min
(901 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Piaggio P.180 Avanti production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None. Military special-mission models may be stocked with mission-pertinent equipment for various overland and overwater roles.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

P.180 "Avanti" - Base Series Name; initial production model.

P.180M - Militarized variant for VIP and light transport duties.

P.180RM - Radio calibration platform

P.180 "Aero Ambulance" - Air AMbulance platform

P.180APH - Specialized variant for use in aerial cartography

P.180EVO "Avanti EVO" - Third incarnation of Avanti series aircraft; model of 2015; increased useful load; 400 knot speeds.

P.180MPA - Maritime Patrol Aircraft platform; developed with Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments; Saab Albatros mission system; 50% greater wingspan with 50% increase fuel load; enlarged tailplane unit; increased-area foreplanes; uprated engine fit.

P.180 "Avanti II" - Improved engines and avionics fit.

P.1HH "Hammerhead" - Proposed unmanned vehicle based on the Avanti airframe.

Cockpit image of the Piaggio P.180 Avanti

Cockpit image represents the Piaggio P.180 Avanti VIP production model.

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Image from official Piaggio marketing material.

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