Piaggio Aero Industries is scheduled to deliver by the end of the month the first P166DP1 utility twin turboprop, an upgraded P166DL3, to the Italian customs police. A second aircraft is earmarked for delivery by the end of the year.
Piaggio has replaced the DL3's Honeywell LTP101-700 engines with 615hp (460kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-121s and installed Rockwell Collins ProLine avionics, new hydraulic and air conditioning systems. The DP1 has a maximum take-off weight of 4,500kg (9,000lb), 200kg more than the DL3, and a useful load of 1,740kg, compared with 1,460kg for the DL3. The aircraft also offers a revamped interior and strengthened wing structure.
The maritime surveillance version, chosen by the Italian customs police, incorporates a Marconi Selenia Communications navigation, identification and communications suite; a Telephonics search and weather radar and a Galileo FLIR/TV camera.
There are 30 P166s in service, says Piaggio managing director Giorgio Giorgi, and the Italian company expects to secure upgrade contracts for around two-thirds of this total.
Source: Flight International
