Avio and MTU Aero Engine To Team on UAV Engines

Italy’s Avio and MTU Aero Engine of Germany will team on engines for medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAVs and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV)

Avio Group and MTU Aero Engine GmbH have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to jointly explore and identify opportunities related to the propulsion system of Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAV).
The LoI follows the cooperation MoU of the defense industry associations of Italy and Germany (AIAD, Italian Industries Federation for Aerospace, Defence and Security, and BDSV, the Federal Association of the German Security and Defence Industry) signed a December 16 2011, and the Letter of Intent signed on November 29 between the Italian and German Defense Ministers in Berlin.
Avio and MTU are aiming to combine their technological knowledge and in doing so, establish a leadership position in the UAS sector. With the agreement in place, both Avio S,p.A. and MTU Aero Engine GmbH will be well placed to work in partnership to meet the needs of their Governments related to UAS.
Francesco Caio , Chief Executive Officer of Avio commented: “The signing of this agreement is important for Avio, as it allows the company to collaborate with an outstanding player in the innovative sector of propulsion specifically intended for UAS. In doing so, we have an opportunity to further enhance our ability to design, build, and support innovative propulsion systems for both civil and military market. The UAS sector has a strategic importance for the future of Avio’s programmes and we are confident that this agreement will allow us to become even more competitive in the field.”
Egon Behle, Chief Executive Officer of MTU Aero Engines, said: “This LoI marks a significant step forward towards our goal of keeping our military sector competitive in the face of sharply declining defense budgets and changing requirements regarding the future equipment of the armed forces. UAS will play an increasingly significant role moving forwards, and we want to have an equitable share in this market segment.”

The deal is a direct consequence of the memorandum of understanding signed in December by the defense industry associations of Italy and Germany to ramp up cooperation, as well as a letter of intent on cooperation signed in November between the defense ministers of the two countries.

Thanks to the deal, both Avio and MTU “will be well placed to work in partnership to meet the needs of their Governments related to UAS,” the statement added.