The Italian Navy is experimenting with the vertical take-off and landing X-VTOL drone for use by its surface naval units. The drone is the result of a cooperation project that began in 2023 between SkyEye Systems (an SME based in Pisa, led by an aerospace industry legend in Italy, Massimo Lucchesini, ‘father’ of the M-346) and Fincantieri, specifically Fincantieri NextTech.
SkyEye Systems is building the aircraft autonomously, while Fincantieri is responsible for its integration on board the ship and its commercialisation.
The X-VTOL is a drone characterised by an innovative mechanical and aerodynamic design with a small, almost cylindrical airframe, high, straight wings with winglets inclined upwards, and 2 wing masts, which end in a tail featuring a vertical fin with a trapezoidal bridge. Four brushless electric motors are mounted on the booms to guarantee vertical take-off/landing and lift, while a pusher propeller powered by a JP5 engine is installed in the tail for level and cruise flight. In addition there is a fifth, electric motor installed in the nose to guarantee maximum precision when landing.
The X-VTOL has a maximum take-off weight of 65 kg, a wingspan of 4.7 m and a payload of up to 6 kg, which can include an electro-optical sensor or a small SAR radar, such as the SKYSAR (weighing only 1.8 kg) from SkyEye Systems. An X-VTOL prototype is already flying, and a second prototype and military certification are expected by the end of the year.
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