• Defence Helicopter

  Pakistan orders more AW139s

  22nd February 2017

  Leonardo has received an order from the government of Pakistan to deliver additional AW139 intermediate twin engine helicopters, the company announced on 20 February.The undisclosed …

• Defence Helicopter

  Aero India 2017: Airbus remains optimistic in India

  20th February 2017

  Although Airbus Helicopters has every reason to feel aggrieved over the protracted and chaotic nature of Indian military acquisitions – just consider the twice-aborted Reconnaissance …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Patrollers will be delivered with PicoSAR

  20th February 2017

  Leonardo has announced that its PicoSAR radar will be integrated onto the French army's new Safran Patroller unmanned aerial vehicle, following an order for 14 …

• Training

  Leonardo T-100 going it alone

  8th February 2017

  Leonardo has announced it will be offering its T-100 integrated training system for the US Air Force $16 billion T-X competition.Only a fortnight ago it …

• Training

  M-346 in cold test certification

  3rd February 2017

  Leonardo has carried out cold test certification of the M-346 in January in Kiruna, Sweden, the company announced on 2 February.  The testing ensures that …

• Training

  Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems bow out of T-X

  1st February 2017

  The $16 billion T-X programme to replace the US Air Force’s aging T-38 Talon (see picture) supersonic training aircraft has just taken another twist with …

• Training

  T-X contenders begin to evaporate

  28th January 2017

  With the request for proposal documents issued in late December for the US Air Force’s 350 aircraft T-X programme, Raytheon and Leonardo have decided they …

• Defence Helicopter

  South Korea to modernise helicopter fleet

  24th January 2017

  South Korea is modernising its military helicopter fleet via a recently unveiled plan that includes buying additional maritime-based rotorcraft and upgrading existing Chinooks. The Defense …

• Defence Helicopter

  Italy reveals AW129 replacement

  19th January 2017

  Replacement of the Italian Army’s AW129 with a new exploration and escort (NEES) helicopter has come to light, further to a joint contract between Leonardo Helicopters and the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Italy orders Aermacchi M-345 trainer aircraft

  17th January 2017

  A contract announced on 13 January will see Leonardo deliver an initial batch of five Aermacchi M-345 trainer aircraft to the Italian Ministry of Defence. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Crowsnest to provide eyes to Merlins

  16th January 2017

  The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that manufacturing of the Crowsnest airborne surveillance system for its fleet of 30 Merlin Mk2s can now begin, following the …

• Defence Notes

  Surface Navy: Hybrid propulsion chosen for cutters

  13th January 2017

  DRS Technologies, a Leonardo Company, has been selected to provide the hybrid-electric drive propulsion system for the US Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter. The company …

• Defence Helicopter

  Leonardo signs UK Wildcat support deal

  10th January 2017

  Leonardo Helicopters will continue supporting the UK’s Wildcat helicopter fleet under a £271 million contract with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 9 January. …

• Land Warfare

  UK MoD funds further LDEW development

  6th January 2017

  The UK Dragonfire consortium led by MBDA will produce a Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) Capability Demonstrator for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) under …

• Defence Helicopter

  The year ahead: The Asia-Pacific region

  5th January 2017

  Within the Asia-Pacific region the year just passed was pretty much dominated by the machinations of one country – China – and there is little …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - light/training

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

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

• Military helicopters - light/training

  AW119 Koala [Israel]

  Background Pre-contract timeline The initial request for information regarding a replacement system for the Israeli Bell 206 training platforms was released to industry in 2015, ...

• 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 - multirole

  New Medium Helicopter (NMH) [UK]

  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) programme ...

• 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 - light/training

  SW4 Puszczyk Replacement [Poland]

  Background  Requirement In 2002, Poland order 47 SW4 training helicopters from Italian manufacturer Leonardo; as of Spring 2025, the Ministry of Defence is looking to ...

• 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. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  MH-139 (UH-1N Huey Replacement)

  Background  Competing bids In competition with the Boeing/Leonardo bid was Sikorsky with a HH-60U offer, and Sierra Nevada with an upgrading offer of UH-60As to ...

• Main battle tanks

  C1 Ariete Replacement [Italy]

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

• Light attack, Trainer

  Next Generation Trainer/Light Combat Aircraft [Austria]

  Background Requirements Austria is replacing the Saab 105 training fleet, which was retired from service in 2020. Austria's 2019 White paper calls for replacing it with a ...

• 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, ...

• Trainer

  Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS)/T-45 Replacement [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy’s (USN) Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) programme is intended to replace the troubled T-45 Goshhawk trainer. The June 2024 RFI includes ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  AW101 [Poland]

  Bids and suppliers Airbus Helicopters Though not involved in the final bid stage, Airbus Helicopters had originally put the H225M forward to meet the Polish ...

• Transport

  C-130J (Replacement) [Italy]

  Background C-130J history Italy originally procured 20 C-130J aircraft between 2002 and 2005. In March 2022, a US$402.8 million (€380 million) contract for technical support ...

• Light attack

  M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirement Brazil operates several A-1 (AMX) light attack aircraft, which were produced by Embraer in partnership with Leonardo in the 1980s. Similarly, the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• 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 ...

• 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. ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Italian LDEW (Leonardo/MBDA)

  As announced in December 2024, Leonardo and MBDA are collaborating to produce a Fire Unit Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) for the Italian Navy. 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 ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  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 - light/training

  TH-119 (TH-73A Thrasher )

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

• 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, ...

• 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 ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  Seaspray 7300E V2

  The Seaspray 7300E V2 radar is an airborne, maritime, multi-mode surveillance radar manufactured by Leonardo. It is designed for the detection of small maritime targets in ...

• 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 ...

• 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 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 ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Astore

  The Astore is a weaponised variant of Leonardo's Falco EVO drone. The drone's autonomous modes operate within the man-in-the-loop principle and can be fitted with ...

• 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 ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  AW119Kx

  The AW119Kx is a light, single-engine multirole helicopter. Launched in October 2012, it is available in civil and military variants, with the military version designated AW119M. ...