• Defence Helicopter

  US Army pushes forward with Lakota

  10th January 2018

  The US Army is progressing with plans to buy up to 35 new Airbus UH-72A Lakota aircraft for pilot training.  The move comes after legal …

• Defence Helicopter

  Latvia orders two Leonardo AW119Kx

  4th January 2018

  Leonardo has received a contract from the State Border Guard of Latvia for two AW119Kx helicopters, the company announced on 2 January. The contract also …

• Defence Helicopter

  Indonesia receives five military helicopters

  17th January 2018

  Indonesia’s military received five helicopters – two Airbus Helicopters AS565 MBe Panthers and three armed H125M Fennecs – plus a CN-235-220 aircraft from PT Dirgantara …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  European unmanned ambitions continue into 2018

  10th January 2018

  The European MALE RPAS project enters 2018 on schedule and on budget as industrial partners begin the development phase, Shephard understands. The three industry members, Airbus …

• Defence Helicopter

  Political turbulence affects the helicopter business

  11th January 2018

  A week is a long time in politics and this is especially true when you consider politics stopping play in the aerospace and defence industry …

• Digital Battlespace

  GDA 2017: Leonardo readies Captor-E next phase, Kuwaiti Eurofighter assembly

  11th December 2017

  Leonardo is preparing to begin the next testing phase for its next-generation Captor-E active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which will eventually equip the Eurofighter …

• Defence Helicopter

  AW101 programme suffers setback

  27th November 2017

  The Leonardo AW101 Norwegian All-Weather SAR Helicopter (NAWSARH) programme has suffered a setback only a week after the first type was delivered to the Norwegian Ministry of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Weaponised Fire Scout on the horizon

  7th December 2017

  The newest iteration of the Northrop Grumman Fire Scout, the MQ-8C, will be transitioned into fleet operations at the end of 2018 according to the US …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bangladesh receives first AW119Kx trainer

  15th November 2017

  In late October the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) received the first of two AW119Kx rotorcraft on order from Leonardo Helicopters. Befitting their training role, the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Leonardo receives threat simulation contract

  15th November 2017

  Leonardo has been contracted by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide equipment that will simulate radar threats to the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) …

• Digital Battlespace

  US Navy orders additional IVCS

  20th November 2017

  DRS Technologies Canada has been contracted by the US Navy to provide four additional Integrated Voice Communications Systems (IVCS) for its Aegis cruisers and destroyers, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Dubai Airshow 2017: Falco Evo lands in Middle East

  14th November 2017

  An unnamed customer in the Middle East is the recipient of its first Falco Evo surveillance UAV, a Leonardo release has revealed. The delivery to …

• Military Logistics

  Northrop Grumman to sustain ADF C-27J

  17th November 2017

  Northrop Grumman has been awarded a through life support (TLS) contract for the Royal Australian Air Force's C-27J Spartan airlift fleet, the company announced on …

• Naval Warfare

  D&S 2017: Leonardo torpedoes into Thailand (video)

  9th November 2017

  Leonardo showcased its A224MOD3 underwater torpedo at Defense and Security 2017 as the company pursues opportunities with the Royal Thai Navy.  Shephard spoke with Marco Rossi, …

• Defence Helicopter

  D&S 2017: Leonardo strengthens ties with Thailand

  8th November 2017

  Leonardo Helicopters signed an MoU with the Defence Technology Institute in Thailand for the possibility of establishing an MRO facility in the country as Thailand considers …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  MH-139 (UH-1N Huey Replacement)

  Other bidders included Sikorsky with HH-60U offer and Sierra Nevada with upgrading offer of UH-60As to UH-60L configuration.In February 2018, Leonardo filed a protest to ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System - AHTS (TH-57 Replacement)

  Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single engine 407GXi. ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  AW189 - Egypt

  Leonardo and Egypt have never officially confirmed the order and it was not mentioned by the manufacturer when it released full-year FY2019 financial results in ...

• Light attack

  M-346 Procurement (1-24) [Nigeria]

  Programme Background On 9 December 2023, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Chief of Air Staff Marshal Amao said the country expects delivery of 54 new ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  Maritime Operations Helicopters

  The three maritime operations helicopters will be used for logistics and personnel transport, alongside transportation of PASKAL naval special forces in operations in the area. ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Project Proteus [UK]

  Project Proteus is an RN and Leonardo effort to design and develop an uncrewed helicopter demonstrator that could provide an innovative alternative to existing crewed ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Project Proteus [UK]

  Project Proteus is an RN and Leonardo effort to design and develop an uncrewed helicopter demonstrator that could provide an innovative alternative to existing crewed ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  New Exploration and Escort Helicopter (NEES) (Phase II) [Italy]

  Programme Background Phase I In 2017, the Italian government signed a contract with Leonardo to replace its fleet of AW129 Mangusta attack helicopters with the ...

• Tanks

  C1 Ariete Replacement [Italy]

  Programme Background Background Following nearly 20 years of service within the Italian Army, the C1 Ariete MBT is due for an upgrade or replacement. Suffering ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH90 TTH Qatar

  The NH90 helicopter programme is managed by NH Industries, a joint-venture owned by Airbus Helicopters (62.5%), Leonardo (32%), and Fokker (5.5%). In September 2019, Qatar ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AW139 [Greece]

  Programme Background Reportedly, during a December 2023 meeting of the Greek Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) proposed the purchase of 14 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AW139M (1-7) [Algeria]

  Programme Background In 2016, Leonardo partnered with the Algerian National Defence Ministry to establish a second international production line for AW139 helicopters. By March 2025, ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  New Medium Helicopter (NMH) [UK]

  Programme Background NMH Market Interest Day On 11 November 2021, the MoD communicated the requirements of the £1 billion ($1.34 billion) New Medium Helicopter (NMH) ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  NH90 NFH Qatar

  The NH90 helicopter programme is managed by NH Industries, a joint-venture owned by Airbus Helicopters (62.5%), Leonardo (32%), and Fokker (5.5%). In September 2019, Qatar ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme [Italy]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that the Italian, British and Japanese components of GCAP are tracked in separate entries. Programme Timeline 2019: In September 2019, the UK and Italian ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Naval guns

  Leonardo 76/62 Sovraponte

  The 76/62 Sovraponte (Overdeck) is a medium-calibre gun developed by Leonardo that weighs 30% less than the legacy OTO 76/62 Super Rapid and does not penetrate below decks. ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Rotorsim

  Rotorsim, the joint venture equally owned by Leonardo and CAE, provides training solutions on Leonardo Helicopters platforms through high-fidelity simulator systems. Rotorsim currently operates in ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  Seaspray 7300E V2

  The Seaspray 7300E V2 radar is a maritime-focused multi-mode surveillance radar. The 7300E V2 uses composite electronic and mechanical scanning in a gimbal configuration with ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AW129

  The AW129 is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine attack helicopter originally developed for the Italian Army and subsequently developed into a multirole combat platform for the ...

• Major networking projects

  MARS Communications Suite

  Leonardo has been contracted by South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) to supply a suite of communications systems for the UK RN's ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  IVCS

  The Integrated Voice Communications System (IVCS) is a shipboard communications system that combines naval telephones and intercom equipment into one system. It consists of terminals, ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-119 (TH-73A Thrasher )

  The USN announced on 13 January 2020 that Leonardo had been awarded a $176.5 million contract for the production of 32 TH-119 helicopters in support of ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AW169M

  The AW169M is the customised military version of the multirole AW169. The 4.5t-class helicopter is designed to perform a range of light utility and armed ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AW139M

  As the military variant, the AW139M includes FLIR, self-protection equipment (including IR detection and countermeasures) and heavy-duty landing gear. The helicopter features a digital avionics ...

• Trainer

  M-346

  The M-346 is a Lead In Fighter Trainer (LIFT), developed by Alenia in partnership with Yakovlev as the Yak/AEM-130 before the partnership was disbanded. The first ...

• Model 323 Fire Attack

  The Model 323 is a belly tank/refill hose system for Leonardo AW119 helicopters.

• Land: battle management systems

  MFoCS

  Mounted Family of Computing Systems (MFoCS) is a modular family which is designed to integrate existing FBCB2, future JBC-P and WIN-T capability into a modular ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Proteus

  Proteus is a technology demonstrator that Leonardo is developing in collaboration with the UK MoD's Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S;) Future Capabilities Group and the ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  WAH-64 Apache

  The WAH-64/AH1 Apache is a variant of the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow, developed and built by Leonardo from 1996 to meet British Army requirements. One ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  MCSP

  Merlin Capability Sustainment Programme (MCSP) was a contract awarded to Lockheed Martin UK – Integrated Systems in 2006 to ‘future-proof’ the RN’s Merlin Mk 1 ...