Based in London, Tony covers European defense programs. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2012, Tony was at Shephard Media Group where he was deputy editor for Rotorhub and Defence Helicopter magazines. Tony has covered avionics, unmanned vehicles, the supply chain and cyberwarfare.
The unique design of Piaggio Aero's P.180 Avanti business turboprop has always turned heads. With its unusual blend of three-surface configuration and pusher propellers, the aircraft is well-known for its performance and Italian flair. But the type has never sold as well as competitors such as Beechcraft's King Air. So now Piaggio is exploring new markets for the Avanti, hoping that its latest development can secure a niche that has until now been dominated by products from Israel and the U.S.
With insurgent-hunting missions in Mali underway, the U.K.'s Sentinel radar reconnaissance aircraft might be making friends in high places, but it still remains on the chopping block after 2015. Three weeks into the deployment, the single Sentinel R1 operating out of Dakar, Senegal, has been flying a series of missions that has helped to counter threats from improvised explosive devices and indirect fire from the Al-Qaeda-linked rebels retreating into the desert from the rapidly advancing French and Malian government forces.
