Italy's unmanned air vehicle (UAV) and air target manufacturer Meteor has teamed with General Atomics Aeronautical of the USA to offer the US-built Predator to the Italian Ministry of Defence in response to a requirement for a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV.
General Atomics will provide Predator-related hardware, software and systems integration work, and Meteor will provide hardware, some assembly and logistical support in Italy. Industry sources say the MoD could buy one or more Predator systems within a year.
The teaming agreement will be defined when Italy's requirements are known. Final assembly of Predators in Italy is possible if enough of them are procured, says the company.
General Atomics says that it considers Italy "a strong market for the near-term sale of UAV systems", and that, by teaming with Meteor, it has strengthened its ability to offer and support the overseas sale of the Predator.
Source: Flight International
