(Alliance News) - Leonardo Spa reported Thursday that it has successfully completed the first phase of flight testing of the Falco Xplorer. Now the system is ready for the second phase of the campaign that will lead to the certification of the largest drone ever built by the company.

In the uncrewed sector, Leonardo has defined its strategy under the "Be Tomorrow 2030" plan, aiming to consolidate its leadership in Europe on the basis of technological know-how ranging from platforms, sensors, mission systems, and ground control stations, made even more solid through collaborations in major international programs.

The Falco Xplorer is the first MALE - Medium Altitude Long Endurance class system with all-European technology, designed to provide monitoring and surveillance of large areas of interest with high persistence times and the ability to use up to 350 kg of sensors simultaneously. It is the latest evolution of the FALCO family of remotely piloted systems, which in its tactical version Falco Evo is operational with numerous international customers and has accumulated thousands of flight hours, including in civil airspace in various parts of the world.

Now, the system will begin its second test campaign, which Leonardo will carry out under the supervision of the Directorate of Air Armaments and Airworthiness - DAAA, to obtain certification for airworthiness according to the NATO STANAG 4671 standard. The process involves the completion of a series of flights of increasing complexity that will allow for the gradual validation, together with the military authority, of the system's more advanced capabilities such as automatic takeoff and landing, satellite communications for beyond radio line-of-sight operations, and the effectiveness of the entire suite of surveillance sensors, fully built by Leonardo.

These include the LEOSS electro-optical turret, the TS-80 UL Gabbiano multimode radar, the Automatic Identification System for identifying and monitoring maritime traffic, and the SAGE electronic intelligence system. Thanks to the open architecture and flexibility of the ATOS mission system, also from Leonardo, additional sensors or subsystems can be easily integrated, even from third parties.

"The certification will allow the Falco Xplorer to fly over man-made areas, greatly increasing its ability to fly over portions of the territory and also operate in support of public safety and civil protection activities. The Falco Xplorer is not subject to the restrictions of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations - ITAR and meets the criteria for the Missile Technology Control Regime - MTCR class II. It is designed to equip both military and civilian customers with strategic surveillance capabilities and can be offered as an integrated system or as a service managed and operated by Leonardo," the company explained.

Leonardo's stock closed Thursday down 0.7 percent at EUR7.91 per share.

By Giuseppe Fabio Ciccomascolo, Alliance News senior reporter

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