Targeting a METEOR
The genesis of the Meteor P0 The first modern Italian drone by Carlo Siardi (translated by L. Pavese The word “drone” is now familiar to nearly everyone, surrounded as we are by news of these unmanned aircraft, often portrayed as novel, highly innovative, and somewhat mysterious. Yet drones also have a history—one largely unknown but well worth telling. Surprisingly, Italy was a cradle of European drone development. And, since the beginning, the country has produced unmanned aircraft ranging from high-performance, radio-controlled aerial targets capable of high-transonic speeds to multispectral reconnaissance and surveillance drones able to remain aloft for up to twenty-four hours. This article traces the little-known origins of the Meteor P0, the ancestor of all Italian drones. Sixty-seven years ago, the first Meteor P0 made its ina...