The Apulia region will be exhibiting at the Farnborough International Air Show in the UK on 16 to 22 July. Farnborough is one of the world’s largest aerospace trade show and it brings together key players from industry, space agencies and trade visitors interested in new business opportunities

The Technological Aerospace Cluster (Distretto Tecnologico Aerospaziale - DTA) and Airports of Apulia Region (Aeroporti di Puglia - AdP) will be present in the Apulia stand to showcase regional aerospace projects, including the « Airport Test Bed » in the Taranto Grottaglie Airport.

Further the qualification by the National Civil Aviation Authority – ENAC - as an integrated logistics platform for research, development and testing, the test bed in the Grottaglie Airport, located on the heel of the Italy’s boot, became strategically important for experimental activities in aerospace.

In 2015, DTA and AdP to combine their expertise and capabilities to develop and deploy a Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) test bed taking advantage also of the favorable conditions of the surrounding territories for these specific activities.

Giuseppe Acierno, President of DTA and Tiziano Onesti of AdP, invite all participants to visit the Apulia stand and learn more about the latest developments related to the Grottaglie test bed, including:

• future activities for testing, validating and demonstrating flying assets such as RPAS
• Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) opportunities to allow industry to test its systems safely and support research and development
• the recent agreement signed by Virgin Galactic with Altec, a company owned by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), and Sitael, the Italy’s largest private space company, to carry out activities to make in Grottaglie airport the first Italian Spaceport

In the last few years, the DTA strategies and projects have contributed to make Apulia one of the most dynamic and attractive Italian regions in the aerospace field with the presence of the large enterprises on the territory, to the birth of new ones, the reinforcement of the productive, technical and scientific competences, to the achievement of the recognisability of regional aerospace industry in the international context.

"Planetek Italia, as a member of the DTA, is strongly committed to supporting to the growth of Apulian aerospace industry. The expertise in Earth Observation and space systems are perfectly integrated in activites such as the Grottaglie test bed." says Giovanni Sylos Labini, CEO of Planetek Italia.

Venue: Apulia stand, Italian Pavilion / Hall 1, 1445, FIA 2018