In 2018, an Italian drone company was 'secretly' sold to two Chinese state-owned enterprises. But how much of a secret was it really?
The Strix-DF Mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Credit: Alpi Aviation
With its wide, curved wing, the Strix unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) looks, at first sight, like an expensive boomerang.
In fact, it's a drone that the Italian air force once used for airborne reconnaissance in Afghanistan. It’s made by Alpi Aviation, a northern Italy-based manufacturer whose products also include helicopters and light aircraft.
A new ‘secret’ about Alpi has now emerged: It’s become Chinese.
In early September, Italian financial police referred six people — three Italian and three Chinese — to prosecutors for allegedly arranging the sale of 75 percent of Alpi Aviation to two Chinese state-owned enterprises in secret in 2018, for 4 million euros.
Alpi’s executives allegedly failed to notify the Italian government of the sale for two years, even though domestic companies involved in the armaments industry are required to seek government permission to negotiate — let alone complete — a sale to non-E.U. buyers, under Italian law.
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