F-26, page 1

Not real....
in my opinion it is an elaborate hoax.

There is simply no proof that any of their products are actually being funded or even considered by the DoD.

I refer you to this thread in the rec.aviation.military newsgroup.
Stavatti is first and foremost a company that manufactures drums and other musical instruments.

Although Stavatti is listed with Janes Defense Weekly as an aerospace industry there is just no proof or indication that there is any DoD money going to the company. They claim to make laser rifles, particle beams, etc...
The company website at one time (it has changed) said that Stavatti builds space fighters, with this statement:

"We know what threats are out there. A 9mm just won’t cut it when you are facing 30 ft tall insectoids, or the reptile alien overlords from Rigel."

(This is according to Defense Tech forum)

That statement doesn't sound like a serious multimillion dollar a year defense industry corporation.

Although the laser rifles Stavatti claims to market are not the aircraft in question, I believe that the glaring problems with the science involved in Stavatti's claimed laser rifles negatively affect Stavatti's credibility.

One of the main problems with the science is that the radioactive polonium used to generate adquate power for the weapon would make the device far deadlier if the soldier just threw it at the enemy rather than to shoot the laser beam at them.

In contradiction to the Stavatti info on the laser rifle, polonium is extrememly dangerous even in quantities as small as a milligram.

According to one defense-science blog it would take tons of polonium to create the power that Stavatti claims the laser has, yet the substance is only present in minute quantities to power the weapon, but in quantities large enough to kill the soldier using it, especially considering the shielding required for an element like that would be significantly large and heavy.

The documentation also describes the output of the device in watts when joules are the appropriate unit with which to measure such a weapon's output.

Stavatti's CEO Chris Baskar says that Stavatti is legit. However, Mr. Baskar can not show proof of any clients for the company's alledged high-tech arms business.

I admit that I was fooled by this, as have been numerous reputable aerospace publications and websites as cited by Popeye's post.

But after personal inquiries at work (Raytheon) as to Stavatti's claimed relationship with Raytheon I got a resounding "What's Stavatti?"... No one in client relations knows anything about them.