Baykar acquired Piaggio Aerospace final 12 months and can now make investments closely within the latter’s flagship P.180 Avanti to regain the market share of the favored plane.
The Italian Piaggio Aerospace, following the acquisition by Turkish drone main Baykar, is poised for a large reinvention in market presence underneath the brand new identify Baykar Piaggio Aerospace. Higher upkeep help, spare half availability, elevated manufacturing numbers and deeper innovation in avionics and engines are among the measures introduced.
Piaggio’s flagship P.180 Avanti and its variants are on the coronary heart of this push, supported by the businesses’ mixed analysis and improvement and manufacturing capacities. Piaggio’s legacy, notably pushed by the P.180’s reputation as an aesthetically engaging but sturdy multirole turboprop plane, could be the lynchpin of this growth.
Piaggio launched two promotional movies final week, interviewing Piaggio Aerospace’s CEO Giovanni Tomassini and Baykar’s CEO Haluk Bayraktar, outlining the steps for carving out a distinct segment for Piaggio’s choices, in what they envision is a promising international aerospace market.
P.180 Highlight Options: A 4-Half Sequence – 1/4: Cruise Velocity & Altitude ✈️ pic.twitter.com/ywflnUlVDm
— Piaggio Aerospace (@PiaggioA) December 16, 2025
P.180 Avanti
Piaggio has produced greater than 250 P.180 Avanti airframes, with round 220 of them actively flying since 1986, and the general fleet has logged greater than 1.1 million hours. The P.180 began with the Avanti sequence, adopted by the Avanti II, the Avanti Evo, the Avanti Evo+, after which the upcoming Avanti Subsequent that can be unveiled within the coming years.
The Italian Armed Forces, and notably the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Power), are main customers of the kind. Piaggio introduced on Nov. 25, 2024, that it has delivered to the Italian Air Power the primary three of 15 deliberate P.180 Avanti EVO+ plane.
The EVO+ is a army variant of the EVO particularly designed for the ItAF, in keeping with Janes, that includes improved dual-zone digitally managed air-conditioning, digitally managed pressurisation system, cabin inside, and braking techniques. As soon as in service, the plane obtained the army designation VC-180C.
Model new Piaggio P180 Evo+ began its responsibility with Italian Air Power for multicrew Fight Assist aircrafts coaching. P180 Evo+ is provided with upgraded avionics new touchdown gear geared up with cutting-edge anti-skid braking and steering techniques.The quickest turboprop on the planet pic.twitter.com/ZLcLrn2o5q
— Ciro Nappi (@CiroNappi6) July 19, 2025
By mid-Jul. 2025, one other P.180 EVO+ was reported to be delivered to the ItAF. The service can be retrofitting among the 14 Avanti I plane in its fleet, which can be redesignated Avanti II+.
#PiaggioAerospace: the primary retrofitted P.180 Avanti II+ delivered to the @ItalianAirForce. #aeronauticamilitare #italianairforce #forzearmate @SM_Difesa pic.twitter.com/bmg7SVBNLZ
— Piaggio Aerospace (@PiaggioA) November 30, 2023
Billed as one of many quickest turboprops out there at this time, the P.180 is distinctively modern and futuristic, distinguished by its twin wing-mounted pusher propellers, entrance canards and straight wings mounted behind the passenger cabin space. The corporate additionally developed an unmanned system based mostly on the unique P.180, referred to as the P.1HH HammerHead, though this system suffered many setbacks throughout improvement.
Piaggio Aerospace CEO Giovanni Tomassini
Through the interview featured within the Jan. 9, 2026 video, Tomassini described the P.180 as a improbable and versatile platform that has an enormous potential by way of improvement. “You need to use it as an air ambulance, VIP transportation or as we are attempting to collaborate with one of many main Italian firms as multi-roll petrol plane,” he additional added. A Maritime Patrol Plane (MPA) derived from the Avanti II was additionally unveiled 10 years in the past.
“So P180 is right here to restart. Engines are there to proceed to be produced. There are two R&D sectors for which I believe we’re going to work on. One is avionics and the second is engine. Each sectors have plenty of historical past and heritage. Along with Baykar, we’ve an opportunity to hold out further research and show the utilization of various supplies with totally different specs,” Tomassini added.
Piaggio Aerospace awarded 46M euro orders by the Italian Ministry of Defence #avantievo #MinistryofDefence #Viper #CAE #FrecceTricolori #ItalianAirForce pic.twitter.com/OUdumH72Y4
— Piaggio Aerospace (@PiaggioA) September 23, 2022
Engine parts manufacturing, together with last assembling and testing, is one other Piaggio specialization. The corporate has agreements with main French engine maker Safran on the Ardiden 3, RTM322 and Aneto helicopter engine households.
Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar
Within the Jan. 12 video, Baykar Piaggio Aerospace chairman Haluk Bayraktar mentioned the acquisition of Piaggio Aerospace is supported by the manufacturing and Upkeep Restore and Overhaul (MRO) services in Villanova and Genova, the which permit to have the P.180 and “engine elements manufacturing [..] all underneath one roof.”
“You have got an plane which could be very distinctive in design. It’s the quickest turboprop. So all collectively Piaggio with its services, the legacy, the model and along with the help of Baykar with the brand new improvements within the subject of drones we see a vivid future,” Bayraktar added. He then introduced plans to scale up manufacturing of the P.180 from the present 4 to 5 aircrafts per 12 months to 25 to 30 airframes by subsequent 12 months, an effort he says is enabled by each the present setup and provide chain help.
Investments in upgrades and engine enhancements
P.180’s pilots and operators “need it again,” says the corporate, driving Baykar’s push for brand new upgrades to make the P.180 airplane “engaging once more [and] get its share out there.” Bayraktar recognized Garmin avionics as one of many upgrades they’re “investing closely” in, in keeping with that producer’s merchandise being presently well-liked within the trade.
Innovation is aware of no borders. Italian magnificence meets Baykar’s engineering as a brand new period takes flight. @BaykarTech pic.twitter.com/7f3w2Tz8ai
— Piaggio Aerospace (@PiaggioA) December 12, 2025
The brand new push will even complement the present Italian design and aesthetics with new inside designs, supported by “digital cabin pressurization system, new environmental, conditioning techniques, and new satellite tv for pc communication applied sciences.” Growing the time between every inspection and upkeep cease, together with the avionics upgrades, has been a “longstanding” buyer request, says the corporate, all of which can be collectively addressed within the P-180 Avanti Subsequent.
Precision begins on the bottom, excellence continues within the air ✈️ pic.twitter.com/LvMoeAi9Ap
— Piaggio Aerospace (@PiaggioA) December 14, 2025
Along with the Avanti Subsequent, Baykar and Piaggio will even revive offers with the present approved service and restore facilities, in addition to discover new ones and plan a brand new logistics middle within the U.S., which Piaggio says is its “greatest market.” In reality, of the 220 P.180s flying at this time, round 100 are based mostly within the U.S., whereas the remaining 100 are in Europe.
Winter skies by no means regarded this good. Good day, 2026. pic.twitter.com/t2sf3715Wm
— Piaggio Aerospace (@PiaggioA) January 3, 2026
Bayraktar additionally talked about Baykar’s three way partnership with Italy’s Leonardo, LBA Programs, which just lately introduced localizing manufacturing within the nation for practically all its UCAVs. “Piaggio has nice engine elements manufacturing functionality on varied processes from coating to grinding to machining to testing engines […]. On this 12 months’s plan we’ll spend money on the equipment to extend the capacities of the engine elements manufacturing and MRO,” Bayraktar defined.
He additionally praised the P.180’s sturdy airframe and durable wing design, in addition to the extent of consolation that he skilled whereas flying in one in all two aircrafts Baykar bought – one second-hand, and a brand new P.180 Avanti Evo. He famous the plane’s laminar move and brief wing span offset any discomfort and bumps within the poor climate, moreover pointing to its giant cabin house for seven seater and the graceful trip of jet plane, and gas economic system.
