Leonardo Finmeccanica
On 28 April 2016 the Shareholders' Meeting approved Finmeccanica’s new name. From now on, it will be Leonardo - Società per Azioni. After sixty-eight years of history, the brand name that has identified the high technology industry in our country, from the post-war period to the present time is renewed in the very modern name of Leonardo da Vinci, innovator in his times and recognised as universal symbol of genius and creativity applied to all fields of inquiry.
The name change was said to be the logical conclusion of a path of profound renewal that got its start with the transformation of 1 January 2016 – from financial holding to One Company, a single industrial company, integrated and concentrated on the key sectors of aerospace, defence and security. Leonardo thus took the baton of an important industrial development, which started even before Finmeccanica, with the goal of representing worldwide the new image of a global and technologically advanced company.
Leonardo is a global high-tech company and one of the key players in Aerospace, Defence and Security. Headquartered in Italy, Leonardo has about 47,000 employees in 2017. With its offices and industrial plants, the Company is present in 218 sites worldwide, with a significant industrial presence in four domestic markets (Italy, the UK, the U.S. and Poland) as well as strategic partnerships in the most important high potential international markets. Finmeccanica, Italy’s leading high-technology group, will make its first appearance as ‘one company’ at the Bahrain Air Show 2016 on 21 January 2016, showing at its stand products from its Helicopter division (in the process of the reorganisation of the Group’s companies.
From 1 January 2016, the Helicopter Division absorbed the activities of AgustaWestland. The Helicopter Division also includes the operations of Polish subsidiary PZL-Swidnik, acquired in 2010.
Leonardo’s Helicopter Division performs research, design, development, production, customer support and marketing of the company’s extensive range of modern helicopters for commercial, public service, and security and defence applications. Current production covers all the main helicopter weight categories, from the 1.8 tonne single-engine to the 16 tonne three-engine. All the helicopters are dual commercial and military use platforms except some specific military platforms (NH90, Super Lynx 300, AW159 and AW101).
The Division is able to manage the entire helicopter development and production cycle. The plants, concentrated in Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland and the United States, are fully integrated and are organised around ‘centres of exellence’ that support the final assembly lines. The final assembly lines are located in Vergiate and Tessera (Italy), in Yeovil (United Kingdom), in Swidnik (Poland) and in Philadelphia (United States).
From 1 January 1 2016, the Aircraft Division absorbed part of the activities of Alenia Aermacchi. Leonardo’s Aircraft Division is engaged in the design, development, production, logistics support for trainer aircraft, and the relevant integrated systems for crew (air and ground operators) training, military and tactical transport aircraft, special missions multi-role aircraft, regional twin-engine turboprop aircraft, unmanned systems and moreover the manufacturing of nacelles.
From 1 January 1 2016, the Aerostructures Division has absorbed part of the activities of Alenia Aermacchi. Leonardo’s Aerostructures Division is a partner of major civil aircraft programmes in Europe and in North America. From the Boeing 787 made from composite materials, to the Airbus A380, and finally regional turboprop ATR, a world leader in its sector, the Division brings the ability to design, build, test and integrate structures and components to support any program. The processing of large structural components in composite materials, represent a particular advanced capability of the Division.
From 1 January 2016, the Airborne & Space Systems Division absorbed part of the activities of Selex ES. The Airborne & Space Systems Division designs, develops and produces a wide range of products and solutions for aircraft platforms that include integrated mission systems, airborne radars and sensors, electronic warfare systems, on-board avionics, aerial target systems and simulation systems. The Division also develops and produces Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) which are also offered through full life-cycle service contracts. The Division's offer is completed by space systems that, in addition to the sensors and mission payloads, include advanced robotic systems.
The Airborne & Space Systems Division provides the customer with solutions for reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and recognition ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance), based on integrated and agnostic architectures, i.e., capable of operating on any platform and with any on-board equipment to ensure a constant situational awareness at the tactical level and interoperability with any other operational environment.
From 1 January 2016, the Land & Naval Defence Electronics Division absorbed part of the activities of Selex ES. The Land & Naval Defence Electronics Division offers all the necessary expertise to guarantee land and naval Armed Forces with a qualified and fast information superiority, situational awareness, command and control capability, weapon systems management and network communications. The Division boasts more than 50 years of experience in systems integration, digital architectures, combat management systems and sensors, and communications. These capabilities allow the design and manufacturing of flexible, modular and scalable systems that meet any operational requirement on board vessels and vehicles and in the sector of land and coastal surveillance fixed systems.
In addition, the Land & Naval Defence Electronics Division’s great experience in electro-optical fire control systems and infrared search and track (IRST) allows to meet the needs of surveillance for high precision and electromagnetic silencing, targets tracking and weapon management. The offer is complemented by integrated logistics support solutions that provide full training, including simulation of operating environment functions and after sales support service, aimed at ensuring a long life cycle for the products and maximisation of customer investment.
From 1 January 1 2016, the Defence Systems Division absorbed the activities of OTO Melara and WASS. The Defence Systems Division's products are the heirs of a 100-year old legacy of historic Italian factories that still today design, develop and produce artillery, weapons and torpedoes. The continuous technological evolution that the Division has consistently applied to these systems over the years, allows Leonardo to offer a highly innovative, technologically advanced portfolio of products and systems able to respond effectively to the new operational land, naval and underwater warfare scenarios.
From 1 January 2016, the Security & Information Systems Division absorbed part of the activities of Selex ES. The Security & Information Systems Division is a world leader in safety-through-technology, providing tailored solutions for customers in public administration, public safety and security, critical infrastructure, services, transport, large companies, post and logistics. Finally, with a significant track-record in providing advanced systems and control centers for the management and control of air and maritime traffic, the Division is a leader in the field.
Leonardo also operates through subsidiaries and joint ventures, which include:
- MBDA (joint venture established with BAE Systems and Airbus for missile systems).
- Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space (joint ventures established with Thales respectively for satellite services and for the manufacture of satellites and orbiting infrastructure). Leonardo operates in the most important international space programs through two joint ventures created in 2007 with Thales, which form the “Space Alliance”: Telespazio (Leonardo 67% and Thales 33%) and Thales Alenia Space (Thales 67% and Leonardo 33%) - and through the activities of the Airborne and Space Systems Division. The company provides a complete offering ranging from satellite manufacturing and orbiting infrastructures, up to the management of satellite services and the production of a wide range of high-tech instruments, subsystems, sensors for applications such as Earth observation, remote sensing of atmospheric phenomena and ecosystems, planetary exploration, navigation missions, telecommunications, space exploration and in orbit experiments. Leonardo’s space expertise also includes a minority shareholding in AVIO, leader in the space launcher sector and in spacecraft propulsion and space travel.
- DRS Technologies (which is based in the U.S. and focuses on the supply of products, services and integrated support to the Armed Forces as well as to intelligence agencies and defence companies). DRS Technologies, based in the United States, is a leading supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and prime defence contractors worldwide. Through the acquisition of DRS Technologies in 2008, Leonardo is one of the most qualified and internationalised global players in defence electronics, with a strong presence in the U.S. market. With nearly 5,500 employees in 65 facilities in the United States, Canada and locations around the world, DRS Technologies is a world leader across a range of state-of-the-art technology for military and civilian government customers primarily in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the Middle East and Asia. The DRS Technologies’ product range is also available in the UK customers through the country’s Tactical Systems team.
- ATR (equal partnership established with Airbus to build regional aircraft). ATR is an equal joint venture between the Airbus Group and Finmeccanica, run independently by its own management which is responsible for business decisions. As an independent legal entity, ATR signs contracts directly with its customers. Finmeccanica doesn’t have any direct involvement in ATR’s business operations.
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