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Leonardo opens Italian airborne systems facility

Defense company Leonardo inaugurates its new airborne systems facility in L'Aquila, making the Abruzzo region a hub for Leonardo's high-tech production. The site employs around 140 people.

Covering more than 4,500 square metres, the new facility is home to advanced technology including Mode-5 identification friend/foe (IFF) systems and airborne communications equipment​ L’Aquila, the capital of Italy’s Abruzzo region, is one of the birthplaces of Leonardo’s airborne and space systems division and is also home to Thales Alenia Space (a joint venture between Thales, 67% and Leonardo, 33%) which opened a major site in the city in 2013. In the wider region, Leonardo has two additional international centres of excellence; a cyber security site in Chieti and Telespazio’s Space Centre in Fucino (Telespazio is a joint venture between Leonardo, 67% and Thales, 33%) which together employ around 850 staff. “The opening of a new industrial park, where state-of-the-art technologies are developed by highly skilled, specialist staff, is a concrete symbol of Leonardo’s commitment to the revival of the Abruzzo region’s economy” said CEO Profumo, adding “The expertise of our people here in L’Aquila contributed to Leonardo having recently been awarded a major contract by the UK Ministry of Defence to upgrade the Identification Fried/Foe (IFF) systems on more than 350 aircraft, ships and ground emplacements. We are confident that this site will be an important driver for growth in the region”. Leonardo started reconstruction of the site immediately following an earthquake in 2009 that damaged the structural integrity of the original buildings. During the re-building, employees were temporarily moved to facilities at the Tecnopolo d'Abruzzo industrial park to keep production on schedule and ensure continuity for customers and suppliers. The industrial park as a whole comprises two main production facilities, one of which is the newly inaugurated site, and hosts a total of 450 staff. 140 are Leonardo employees, predominantly engineers and highly-specialised technicians, while 300 work for Thales Alenia Space in a 22,000 square metre site that includes production areas, clean rooms and offices.

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March 15 2024 2:25 pm V22.4.5-1
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