Alenia Aermacchi

Alenia Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, is an aircraft manufacturer renowned in the global defense and commercial markets for its innovation and ability to design, build, integrate and support complex systems. Alenia Aermacchi’s portfolio includes internationally successful products such as the M-346, the only aircraft designed to meet the training needs of pilots of 4th and 5th generation combat aircraft, and the C-27J tactical airlifter. Alenia Aermacchi plays a key role in world-class programs such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Neuron Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle demonstrator. Alenia Aermacchi also designs and builds advanced aero-structures for state of the art airliners including the Airbus A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the latest Bombardier C-Series aircraft.

Alenia Aermacchi is the global player which leads the Finmeccanica aeronautics business by continuously increasing its ability to design, build, integrate and support complex systems for both commercial and defense markets worldwide. The Alenia Aermacchi military and commercial aircraft businesses are based in Turin and Naples, with training aircraft and systems based at Venegono.

The Alenia Aeronautica product portfolio includes proprietary products like the C-27J, the only true modern tactical airlifter available today worldwide, and the ATR42MP and ATR72ASW, special mission aircraft developed for maritime patrol roles. The company has key roles in world-class programs like Eurofighter Typhoon, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Neuron European UCAV demonstrator. It also plays leading roles in commercial aircraft, designing and building advanced aerostructures for state of the art airliners including the Airbus A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the latest Bombardier CSeries.

In an equal-share joint venture with EADS, Alenia Aeronautica owns ATR, which dominates the regional turboprop market. With the Russian company Sukhoi it is developing and marketing the Superjet 100, the most advanced and environmentally friendly regional jet available on the market. Alenia Aeronautica also controls Alenia North America, Alenia Hellas, Alenia SIA and SuperJet International. Its other international joint ventures and consortia include Eurofighter and GMAS in the USA.

In 1990, Aeritalia and Selenia were merged to form Alenia, bringing together the activities of the two companies in the fields of aeronautics, defence electronics, missile systems and air traffic control. In the late 1990s both of the new large European defense giants, BAE Systems and EADS, offered to form a military-aircraft joint venture with Finmeccanica's Alenia Aerospazio subsidiary. As a matter of policy, Finmeccanica did not intend to join either company directly but rather intended to emphasize partnerships targeted to specific industry sectors. According to defense industry analysts, the BAE Systems offer was not based on a 50/50 joint venture because of the unequal size of the two companies, whereas the EADS offer not only proposed a 50/50 split, but also offered Finmeccanica an equity share of EADS. Finmeccanica subsequently decided to accept the EADS offer, judging that it would better support Italy's objective of improving its domestic defense and aerospace industry. A part of the EADS offer was the opportunity for Finmeccanica to acquire a 5 percent equity share of the commercial Airbus Consortium.

The new company was expected to be a major player in the world defense aerospace market, with special strengths in combat aircraft, military transport aircraft, special mission aircraft, and trainers. The new company had at least three subdivisions - Italian, German, and Spanish- because of the lack of common national laws and regulations governing transnational corporations. Additionally, the new company was approached by the Greek Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) with an offer to have it acquire a 49% equity share of HAI (which has also been offered to Dassualt).

In the Aerospace and Defence sector, parent Finmeccanica strengthened its role as the main Italian manufacturer and among the largest in Europe with the acquisition of Aermacchi and 30% Fiat Avio (Avio Group, with the remaining part owned by The Carlyle Group). Italy and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Italian participation in the industrial programme for the new generation fighter aircraft, the Joint Strike Fighter. Finmeccanica took part in the design, development and production of components for the new aircraft with its companies Alenia Aeronautica, Galileo Avionica, SELEX Communications and Elsag.

In early 2003, Alenia Aeronautica was awarded a contract for 12 new generation C-27J tactical cargo aircraft, produced in collaboration with the North American company Lockheed Martin, ordered by the Greek Air Force. Still in the aeronautics sector, Boeing and Finmeccanica signed a collaboration agreement for the 7E7 Dreamliner programme, the most advanced in the civil aviation field.

In the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi, Finmeccanica and Mubadala Development Company signed an industrial partnership agreement in various leading areas (aeronautics and composite materials). On 25 February 2009, the Emirates Government announced that it had begun the negotiating phase for the purchase of 48 Alenia Aermacchi M-346 advanced training aircraft.

Created on January 11, 2012 from the merger of Alenia Aeronautica, Alenia Aermacchi and Alenia SIA, Alenia Aermacchi is the final step of a long integration process launched in the mid-sixties aimed at streamlining operations to better compete in the international markets, markets which demanded solid companies that offered integrated product portfolios. Alenia Aermacchi has grown its workforce to ca. 12,000 people – a distinct contrast from the 10 workers who built the first Nieuport-Macchi monoplane in 1913. With its activities balanced equally between the military and the civilian sectors, it is a global major player in the aviation industry.

During its century of activities, the “Alenia’ companies which progressively merged with under today’s brand have designed, developed, built, delivered and supported nearly 30,00000 aircraft in both the civilian and military sectors. These aircraft have been\operated by air forces, airlines and private operators around the world.

Giuseppe Giordo, Alenia Aermacchi’s CEO, commented: “Our first 100 years mean a century of records, of technological achievements and of development of an industrial system which has been generating a significant economic and social impact in our country. Today Italy boasts one of the few aviation industries in the world able to offer a last generation fighter, a tactical transport aircraft whose superiority is worldwide acknowledged, an outstanding advanced jet trainer and several industrial collaboration programs ranging from the modern Boeing 787 up to the A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft.”

The present Alenia Aermacchi was formed on January 1, 2012 by merging the various Finmeccanica aeronautics companies into a single corporate entity. The company merges the businesses, products, sites and traditions of Alenia Aeronautica and Alenia Aermacchi. Alenia Aermacchi is endowed with the rich heritage of almost 20,000 aircraft designed, built and maintained by its predecessor companies under famous names including Aeritalia, Alenia, Fiat, Macchi and Romeo. More than 100 years later, the brand Alenia Aermacchi oversees the aviation sector of Finmeccanica Italy’s main industrial group that ranks in the top ten groups in the aerospace, defense, and security sectors.

Alenia Aeronautica is the global player which leads the Finmeccanica aeronautics business by continuously increasing its ability to design, build, integrate and support complex systems for both commercial and defense markets worldwide. It controls Alenia Aermacchi, the world leader in training aircraft, whose M-346 is today the only aircraft designed to meet the training needs of pilots of 4th and 5th generation combat aircraft.

Alenia Aermacchi turned 100 years old May 1, 2013. The sole aeronautical company in the world to boast over a century of activity under the same shared brand, Alenia was incorporated in 1913 by Giulio Macchi as Società Anonima Nieuport-Macchi. During the First World War the Varese company built the fighters flown by the leading Italian aces and entered the seaplane business that would lead to prestigious successes including the 1926 Schneider Trophy and the 1934 world speed record. Under Mario Castoldi Macchi again excelled in fighters in the Second World War, with Macchi types accounting for one-fourth of total Italian aircraft production. After 1945 the company established a reputation as a leading manufacturer of trainers, including the jet trainers designed by Ermanno Bazzocchi. In 1997 Aermacchi acquired SIAI Marchetti, another famous name in aviation, and in 2003 it was in turn acquired by Finmeccanica.

The Alenia name was created in 1990, when Finmeccanica concentrated its defense and aerospace industries. The latter originated in the Turin area in 1916 with Pomilio and Ansaldo, which built the SVA reconnaissance biplane. The industry was consolidated by Fiat after the First World War. Under chief designers Celestino Rosatelli and Giuseppe Gabrielli, Fiat built some of the most iconic Italian designs including the CR.32 and CR.42 biplanes, the G.55 fighter and the G.91 family of light attack and trainer jets.

The Naples plants trace their history to Nicola Romeo. Widely remembered for his role in Alfa sports car business, in 1917 Romeo founded an airplane manufacturer in Naples. The company was later absorbed by Breda. Its Ro.41 biplane was the standard Italian advanced trainer throughout World War II. After the war it came under Finmeccanica as Aerfer and built the Sagittario II, the first Italian supersonic aircraft, designed by Sergio Stefanutti In 1966 it entered the aerostructures business producing DC-9 fuselage panels.

Aerfer and Fiat merged their aircraft businesses in 1969 to create Aeritalia. The concentration led to milestone programs such as the European attack aircraft Tornado, the ATR family and the AMX. Aeritalia was also a partner in the Boeing 767 since its inception and played a key role in the creation of the Italian space industry. Created in 1990, Alenia was immediately associated with Eurofighter and other advanced programs.

In 2002 Finmeccanica spun off its divisions as independent companies to create Alenia Aeronautica and in 2003 it acquired Aermacchi. On January 1, 2012 all aeronautics companies were merged under the Alenia Aermacchi name.