.:Iniziative industriali italiane

1947	The Company was founded in the town of Trieste (North, Italy) in 1947 with the name of Meteor S.p.A. by a group of pilots, whose first aim was to open the airport, near Trieste, destroyed during the Second World War. The Italian Government gave the Company the licence to restore the airport, which is today the International airport of Trieste.
1948/52	Aircraft manufacturing started with repairing aircraft such as four-seat Fairchilds and three-seat Austers recovered from American Air Force surplus. These aircraft became the first operational fleet to be used for training, leisure, transportation and aerial work. In the same period the following gliders were manufactured: - MS-18 "Falco" a single seat for training and competition. - MS-21 "Gabbiano" a tandem two-seat for school and training. - MS-30 "PASSERO" a metal single seat manufactured in cooperation with the Germany Company Scheibe - "Canguro" a two-seat for competition. This glider held prestigious international records for years for both altitude and distance.
1953	In 1953 Meteor developed a new three - and four - seat aircraft series named FL-53, FL-54 and FL-55 in the following versions: hydro, terrestrial, ambulance with skies for mountain operations and specially configured aircraft for aerial work (agriculture and aerial photography). Some of these aircraft are nowadays still operating in several European Countries.

1954	In 1954 aircraft manufacturing sensibly increased thanks to flight training activities of Italian Air Clubs using the above aircraft types. In the same period manufacturing of remotely controlled air vehicles started. In this connection an agreement was signed with a US company operating in the same field called the "Radioplane" subsequently re-named Northrop Ventura Co - Ventura Division. From this moment on Company aeronautical activity was exclusively developed in the military field through manufacturing of Italian unmanned air vehicles, namely P-0, P-X, P-1 and P-2, the jet driven Mirach 100 and the Mirach 20 for day and night air reconnaissance and airborne targets. Meteor manufactured so many versions of Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPV) and Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV), thus becoming International leader in this sector.

1965	The following systems were developed and became operational: - ANDROMEDA: integrated System for battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance. The System was composed of the following subsystems: - ALAMAK: System to collect both flight and reconnaissance data. - MIRACH: vehicles, part the System (Mirach 100, 200 and 20) which can be also launched from flying helicopters. - SIRAH: system for real time collection and analysis of data obtained during aerial reconnaissance.

1970	- ALDEBARAN: integrated System of naval vessels for targeting and automatic reconnaissance composed of the following subsystems: - EXCALIBUR: fast naval vectors without crew. Both aerial and naval vessels were equipped with ANK (Automatic Navigation Kit) produced by Pacific Aerosystem Inc., a Meteor subsidiary company, based in San Diego, California; deoted to the production of advanced air electronics components. - MARINE ALAMAK: naval tracking for naval vector.

1970/72	During the above activity many important co-productions were established with: - Nord Aviation (then Aérospatiale) - France CT-20 fast jet aircraft. - Northrop Co. Ventura Division - USA: NVM-1 jet target vehicle (Northrop Ventura - Meteor-1) - Beechcraft - USA: BM-1 air-to-air supersonic target vehicle (Beechcraft - Meteor-1) - Ryan - USA: RM-1 long range turbine reconnaissance vehicle (Ryan - Meteor-1) - Canadair - Canada : An-USD/501 integrated System for reconnaissance and complete processing of photographic information used by automatic turbine powered vehicle.

1973/76	GThanks to the mentioned co-productions, Meteor became in a few years, the exclusive supplier of complete Systems for users such as Interforce's Test Range located in Salto di Quirra, Sardinia (Italy), the manoeuvres of the US VI fleet in the Mediterranean and the NATO test range located in Crete. The activity was to manage and carry out, with its own personnel, the System by using the factory of the owned company called Avioelettronica Sarda srl located next to the test range. In this factory the maintenance and overhaul of Remotely piloted vehicles was performed and courses were held for and training of all clients who purchased the complete Systems for use in their own Countries. Since the Systems were military equipped, the Italian Government gave its approval to export and give technical assistance.

1981	In 1981, during the nationalization of the military sector of the aeronautical industry, Aeritalia S.p.A. a State owned Company founded a joint-venture with Meteor under the name of Meteor Costruzioni Aeronautiche ed Elettroniche (METEOR CAE S.p.A.). The founder and President was, Lawyer Furio Lauri. The new Company continued the activity by supplying aircraft, complete Systems, services, technical assistance and personnel training mainly in South America, South Africa, Iraq and Libia.

1986	In 1986 Meteor SpA sold its military production branch, equal to 50 percent of the Company's total value, to Alenia, which incorporated Aeritalia and all its military know-how. From this moment on the Company, under the name Iniziative Industriali Italiane S.p.A., continued its civil activity in the naval and aeronautical field as well as in the research and development of new materials in its new facility located in the town of Monterotondo (Rome) managed by the owned company Arrow srl.
1988	In the naval field a series of first class fast off-shore boats called SEA ARROW were designed and manufactured. The smallest measures 34 feet and the largest 85 feet, with the ability to reach 50 knots even in heavy seas.

1989/97	Since 1988 the company has been manufacturing a tandem two seat aircraft for basic training and leisure flying namely Sky Arrow entirely in composite material processed through new generation manufacturing techniques. The Sky Arrow aircraft was and fully certified by the Italian Airworthiness Authority (RAI now ENAC) on March 29th, 1996.