Pakistan has awarded Leonardo-Finmeccanica a contract to procure an undisclosed number of AgustaWestland-built AW139 helicopters. Leonardo-Finmeccanica said Tuesday Pakistan ordered AW139s to support search-and-rescue missions and expects deliveries to commence in 2017. The government of Pakistan signed the contract in Islamabad as part of a fleet renewal initiative that covers training support and logistics services. Pakistan […] More

Elbit Systems‘ U.S. subsidiary has selected Leonardo-Finmeccanica to provide a radar system to support training at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland. The school will use the Vixen 500E active electronically scanned array radar for student training operations aboard a C-26 aircraft, Leonardo-Finmeccanica said Friday. The radar is set for delivery in mid-2016 and will […] More

Leonardo-Finmeccanica debuted a military trainer variant of the AgustaWestland-built AW119 Koala helicopter Monday at the Navy League’s Sea-Air Space Exhibition in Washington. AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of the Italian conglomerate, aims to offer the TH-119 single-engine helicopter training platform to the U.S. Navy and other potential military customers, Finmeccanica said Monday. The TH-119 is designed to have a 180-degree adjustable trainer observation […] More

Finmeccanica has added the Osprey airborne surveillance radar to its portfolio of electronically scanning radars in effort to offer a 360-degree field of view for different types of aircraft such as unmanned aerial vehicles. The company said Thursday Osprey radars are built with a flat-panel design to support installation into small platforms as well as the e-scan technology that works to deliver simultaneous coverage in […] More

A near-unanimous majority of shareholders at Italy-based defense and industrial conglomerate Finmeccanica have approved the company’s proposal to officially change its name to Leonardo from Jan. 1, 2017 after the famous scientist Leonardo Da Vinci. Finmeccanica said Thursday it will operate under the name Leonardo-Finmeccanica through Dec. 31, 2016 in an effort to facilitate continuity of relationships with other […] More

A team led by a joint venture of Thales Group and Finmeccanica has received approximately $19.2 million in funds from the French government to conduct research and development work over two years on an autonomous airship. Thales Alenia Space will collaborate with French companies CNIM, Solutions F, Airstar Aerospace and Tronico-Alcen on the structure, electric propulsion system […] More

A consortium of BAE Systems, Airbus’ defense and space business and Finmeccanica’s Alenia Aermacchi subsidiary has won a contract to provide 28 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to Kuwait. The contract award to Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug comes after Kuwait signed an aircraft procurement agreement with the government of Italy in September 2015, Eurofighter said Tuesday. The consortium will produce […] More

Finmeccanica has won a potential $114 million contract to build and deliver two AgustaWestland-built helicopters to the Philippine navy. Mauro Moretti, CEO and general manager of Finmeccanica, said Thursday the contract also covers training and support services related to AW159 helicopters. AW159 is designed for use in maritime surveillance, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare operations, as well […] More

Steve Williams, capability manager for Finmeccanica‘s airborne and space systems division, has said his company developed its Falcon Shield system to help reduce the risks from small unmanned aerial vehicles, Defense News reported Monday. Lara Seligman writes Falcon Shield is designed as a modular system to ward off drone threats in small areas and large infrastructures. Williams […] More

Two Finmeccanica subsidiaries have received orders for naval craft and surveillance systems worth an estimated $132.5 million from the Angolan government, Defense News reported Tuesday. Oscar Nkala writes Angola will acquire coastal radar and repeater communication systems from Selex for use in the National Maritime Security Coordination Center to be set up in Luanda and […] More

A joint venture of Thales Group and Finmeccanica has delivered the test model of the Orion spacecraft’s European Service Module to NASA’s testing facility in Ohio for further structural design tests. Thales Alenia Space performed initial tests on the structural test model of ESM at its facility in Turin, Italy, prior to the shipment, Thales […] More

A joint venture of Thales Group and Finmeccanica has secured a potential $103 million contract from Airbus to build thermomechanical platforms for the Orion spacecraft’s European Service Module. Thales Alenia Space will supply thermal control, consumable storage components, micrometeoroid and structure protection systems for the space capsule’s ESM, Thales Group said Thursday. ESM will work to provide thermal control, […] More