Leonardo (company)

 ( Official Website ) 

From the 1960s to the 1980s Italy's defence industry and aerospace industry was split into state-holding entities: owned the helicopters manufacturer Agusta, the defence company Oto Melara and the electronic enterprise SELEX Galileo. STET (another IRI subsidiary) held Selenia, SELEX Elsag and SGS Thomson, all electronic enterprises with specializations in security and defense. In 1989, an internal IRI reorganization process brought STET electronic enterprises to Finmeccanica, and the Aeritalia-Selenia merger constituted its aerospace subsidiary Alenia.

In 1992, Finmeccanica's Agusta became a 32% partner in NHIndustries, the prime contractor for the NH90 helicopter, along with Eurocopter (62.5%) and Fokker (5.5%).

In March 2007, BAE Systems sold its 25% share to Finmeccanica for €400 million. In January 2013 the company merged with Finmeccanica's other defence electronics companies, SELEX Elsag and SELEX Sistemi Integrati, to become Selex ES. In May 2008 Finmeccanica announced its intention to purchase the U.S. defense contractor DRS Technologies for nearly $5.2 billion. In October 2008 the sale of DRS Technologies was finalized.

According to Finmeccanica emails published in the Syria Files release by WikiLeaks on 5 July 2012, Finmeccanica increased its sale of mobile communications equipment to Syrian authorities during 2011, delivering 500 of these to the Damascus suburb Muadamia in May 2011, after the Syrian uprising had started, and sending engineers to Damascus in February 2012 to provide training in using the communications equipment in helicopter terminals, while the uprising continued. Finmeccanica stated that the equipment sales were legal, they occurred "before the outbreak of conflict inside Syria", and the equipment "was designed for use by emergency responders" for civilian use only.

On 12 February 2013, the chief executive, Giuseppe Orsi, was arrested on corruption charges. Prosecutors alleged that he paid bribes to ensure the sale of 12 helicopters to the Indian government, when he was head of the group's AgustaWestland unit. Finmeccanica's Giuseppe Orsi held on corruption charges BBC

In July 2013, the Letta government appointed former police chief Giovanni De Gennaro as Chairman of Finmeccanica. In December 2013 Finmeccanica sold 39.55% of its share capital in Ansaldo Energia to Fondo Strategico Italiano.

In the first half of 2014, Finmeccanica's new chief executive officer and General Manager Mauro Moretti started a significant process of change for the Group, both in terms of strategic choices and organizational structure. The goal was to create a more cohesive and efficient group in which all processes (research, marketing and sales, engineering, procurement, strategies and governance) are centralized and integrated and can interact each other. This encompasses the 100% owned companies of the core aerospace and defence business (AgustaWestland, Alenia Aermacchi, Oto Melara, Selex ES and WASS) being transformed into seven new Finmeccanica divisions. The current holding company will then become an operating company based on seven major business areas, maintaining its parent company and corporate centre function for the Group companies excluded from the model (DRS Technologies, Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space, MBDA and ATR).

At the end of 2014, Finmeccanica transferred its stake in BredaMenarinibus to the newco Industria Italiana Autobus (20% Finmeccanica and 80% King Long), thereby taking a further step in the Group's portfolio rationalization process.

In 2015, Hitachi signed a binding agreement with Finmeccanica for Hitachi's acquisition of the AnsaldoBreda business, excluding some revamping activities and residual contracts, and of the entire Finmeccanica stake in the share capital of Ansaldo STS, approximately 40% of the total capital.

FATA, another subsidiary of the Finmeccanica Group since 2004 that was not part of the core business, was sold in 2015 to the Gruppo Danieli, dealing in the production of steel plants.

On 1 January 2016, Finmeccanica became a single integrated industrial entity, that absorbed the activities of AgustaWestland, Alenia Aermacchi, Selex ES, OTO Melara and WASS.

Aeronautics

Leonardo designs, develops, produces, maintains and upgrades commercial, military and military training aircraft, as well as producing aerostructures. The company is part of a network of joint ventures and product partnerships, including such programs as the Global Combat Air Programme (with BAE Systems and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) to build a 6th generation fighter, Eurofighter (with BAE Systems and Airbus Group) to build the supersonic multi-role Typhoon, and the ATR (with Airbus Group) to build the family of turboprop regional aircraft of the same name.

Helicopters

Leonardo is active in the helicopter market, managing: development to production, pilot training and after sales support. Leonardo produces a range of helicopters for the commercial and defence markets, including all the main weight categories, from 1.8-tonne single-engined to 16-tonne three-engined helicopters.

The company launched its VIP helicopters and travel services under a related new name "Agusta" and unveiled the heliport called "Casa Agusta" at a formal ceremony at the Expo 2020 in Dubai.

Leonardo is developing a helicopter-like autonomous large drone for the Royal Navy named Proteus.

Defence Electronics & Security

Leonardo develops and integrates systems for the air and sea traffic management and the control and protection of land and sea borders; it also develops secure communications networks for the management of infrastructure and systems. The services include the design and management of IT infrastructure and data processing for intelligence and cyber security. Leonardo is active in the design, development and production of naval artillery, armoured vehicles and underwater systems. In the Defence Electronics & Security sector, Leonardo operates through its US subsidiary DRS Technologies and the joint venture MBDA (37.5% BAE Systems, 37.5% Airbus Group and 25% Leonardo) that produces missiles and missile systems.

Space

In the space sector, Leonardo is active mainly through joint ventures Telespazio (Leonardo 67% - Thales 33%) and Thales Alenia Space (Leonardo 33% - Thales 67%). Telespazio offers a wide range of skills and services from design and development of space systems, launch services management and in-orbit satellites to Earth observation services, integrated communications and satellite navigation and localisation. Thales Alenia Space is engaged in the design, integration, testing and implementation of space systems, for navigation, telecommunications, meteorology, environmental control, defence, scientific missions and Earth observation.

Its production activities and its main industrial and commercial bases are located in Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland and the United States. Leonardo has gained a significant presence in France and Germany, and is a partner for various international industrial collaborations. The company is an ITER supplier.

In December 2021, Leonardo Electronics announced it would be building a semiconductor device fabrication facility in Oro Valley, Arizona with construction beginning in the first half of 2022.

Leonardo's ongoing supply of equipment for Israel's military has attracted controversy. In June 2025, Leonardo was identified in a UN expert's report on corporations aiding Israel that "may be embedded in an economy of Gaza genocide".

• 100% Leonardo Global Solutions
• 100% Leonardo International
• 100% Leonardo Logistics
• 100% Leonardo UK
• 72.3% Leonardo DRS
• 100% KOPTER Group
• 100% PZL-Åšwidnik

• 67% Telespazio SpA
• 60% Larimart SpA
• 50% ATR
• 50% Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles (LRMV)
• 49% Orizzonte Sistemi Navali
• 33% Thales Alenia Space SAS
• 32% NHIndustries
• 31.33% ELT Group
• 30% GEM Elettronica
• 29.63% Avio SpA
• 25% MBDA
• 22.8% Hensoldt
• 21% Eurofighter GmbH

• * Restated figures due to the adoption of IFRS 11, which resulted in the deconsolidation of the joint ventures' group.
• **Restated figures as a result of the reclassification of the transport sector as a discontinued operation.

Sources:

• Arms industry
• International Flight Training School
• Leonardo Sistemi di Difesa