Leonardo today inaugurated the new plant in L'Aquila, dedicated to avionics activities.
The new site, also created thanks to the contribution of the Abruzzo Region, will cover an area of 4500 square meters and will employ 140 people.
The construction of the plant was entrusted to the Group's service company, LGS.
Anti-seismic buildings are characterized by high construction standards, production of electricity from renewable sources with high levels of energy efficiency.
The activities developed in the new plant will concern the design and certification of identification systems (Identification Friend or Foe - IFF) installed on board aircraft, both military and civilian, and of avionics communications equipment. Crucial technologies in the context of military operations because they allow pilots to automatically recognize "friendly" aircraft, belonging to allied forces, and to exchange information and data with them.
"Giving life to an industrial hub - says Leonardo's CEO, Alessandro Profumo - where cutting-edge technologies are developed, the result of the work of highly specialized personnel, is the concrete sign of Leonardo's contribution to the revitalization of the local economy . It is also thanks to the know-how of this site that Leonardo was recently awarded an important contract for the updating of the identification systems of over 350 aircraft, ships and land vehicles of the British Ministry of Defence. We are therefore certain that Leonardo's production center can represent an important driving force for growth for the Region".
The company is present in the region with three production hubs: Thales Alenia Space (joint venture between Thales, 67% and Leonardo, 33%) rebuilt in the capital after the 2009 earthquake made the industrial complex unusable, the dedicated Chieti hub to cyber security and the Fucino Space Center of Telespazio (joint venture between Leonardo, 67% and Thales, 33%) for a total of 850 employees.
After the earthquake, Leonardo made sure that the seriously damaged buildings of the old factory were made safe and the employees were temporarily relocated within the L'Aquila Technopole. Jobs were thus protected, production was active and commitments with customers and suppliers were kept.
In recent months, also thanks to the contribution of Leonardo and Thales Alenia Space, decisive steps have been taken for the forthcoming creation of the Abruzzo aerospace district, the seventh in Italy, after those of Lazio, Campania, Puglia, Piedmont, Lombardy and Sardinia .
