Leonardo SKY-Y

Leonardo SKY-Y Story

Alenia Aeronautica Sky-Y, Italy, is a self-funded MALE drone for demonstration and research purposes; The flawless 8-hour flight set a new European long-haul record in the 1000kg+ class. The manufacturer has been Leonardo-Finmeccanica since 2016, when Alenia Aermaccchi was incorporated into the new Finmeccanica (eventually renamed Leonardo since 2017).

After 12 months of development, Alenia launched the Sky-Y in June 2007 and made its first test flight at the Swedish proving ground in Vidsel.

As a test bed for key technologies of the MALE UAV, the aircraft includes an automotive-grade heavy fuel oil engine, a new day and night ATOL (autonomous take-off and landing) system, a collision avoidance system and an advanced data link monitoring sensor data integration. Following an initial test campaign to explore full flight range and engine performance, development focused on data processing, elaboration and fusion with the onboard Galileo Avionica EOS-45 infrared camera, Selex Galileo SAR radar and satellite data connectivity.

The company is now looking to develop a new, larger, dual-purpose MALE drone based on the Sky-Y experience, the Molynx.

Specification

Basics

Years in Service

2007

Origins

Italy

Status

Active.

Crew

0

Production

1

Manufacturer

Leonardo SpA - Italy

Operator

Italian

Roles

Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scouts

Monitor ground targets/target areas to assess surrounding threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

Unmanned ability

Aircraft designed (or later developed) have inherent unmanned capabilities and can fill a variety of battlefield roles.

Performance

Installed:

1 x Diesel engine propulsion power for the propeller unit located in the aft thruster configuration of the fuselage.

Armor

None.

VARIANTS

SKY-Y - The name of the base series.