The Italian Ministry of the Interior is providing €7.2 million for the operation of drones in the central Mediterranean. The police and the financial police, who is also responsible for border security, will use the unmanned aerial vehicles by day and night against irregular migration from countries such as Libya and Tunisia...

The contract was apparently awarded to the Italian arms company Leonardo. The firm is to provide up to 1,800 flight hours for an initial year...

The drone’s Maximum Take-Off Weight is to be between 500 and 1,000 kilograms...The parameters apply to the „Falco Evo“ drone, with which Leonardo has already gained extensive experience in the Mediterranean...