Our Airborne and Space Systems provide the sensors and electronic systems that sit under the skin of the world’s most advanced aircraft, effectively acting as their brains, senses and nervous systems.
Protecting pilots, alerting air crews to threats and providing crucial intelligence back to observers on the ground, the technology we offer can make the difference between life and death for our customers.
In the UK, we’re proud to provide the latest technology to our own Armed Forces, as well as exporting it around the world.
We’re one of the main partners involved in delivering the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet to the RAF and to other nations who operate the aircraft; Leonardo leads the industry consortia that provide the Typhoon’s radar, IRST and defensive aid suite.
In total, we provide more than 60% of the Typhoon’s avionics, helping protect pilots and their aircraft as they watch out for UK interests at home and abroad. We also provide the life-saving defensive aid suites on all of the UK’s helicopters, including the Army’s battle-tested Apache and the Royal Navy’s new AW159 Wildcats.
In radar technology, we lead the way in Europe. Operating a centre of excellence in Edinburgh, we design and manufacture radars for fire control and surveillance that have been bought by government and military customers around the world. In two high-profile examples, our Raven ES05 AESA radar equips Saab’s next-generation Gripen jets while our family of Seaspray radars has been exported to a number of countries including the USA.
Our laser business is also an important part of our work in the UK, with our engineers meeting around 75% of the global demand for high-energy military lasers. One of these applications is the targeting laser on the new F-35 fighter, which will go into action with the UK as well as several other partners internationally.
We’re also proud of our rich heritage in Electronic Warfare (EW). Based at our Luton office and boasting over 100 years of EW history, today we’re providing the latest advances in radio frequency technology to our military customers in the UK and further afield. Our BriteCloud decoy is today the most significant advance in radar-guided missile countermeasures since the advent of chaff. Meanwhile, our Miysis system can protect platforms against the heat-seeking missiles that are rapidly proliferating amongst terrorist groups and rogue nation states.
