Leonardo-Finmeccanica at MSPO 2016

Leonardo-Finmeccanica is attending MSPO 2016 (September 6-9), one of the most important Defence exhibitions in Europe held in Kielce, Poland

Kielce  06 September 2016 09:00

Leonardo-Finmeccanica is attending MSPO 2016 (September 6-9), one of the most important Defence exhibitions in Europe held in Kielce, Poland. The company considers Poland a strategic market and has made major investments  in recent years (particularly the acquisition of the Polish helicopter company PZL-Świdnik in 2010) with several significant opportunities in the defence, security and civil markets.   

 

Aeronautics 

The Polish Air Force has acquired 8 M-346 trainers and associated integrated training system, with deliveries expected to start in November. The M-346 ITS (Integrated Training System) is a new generation trainer designed and built by Leonardo to allow an easy and efficient transition from basic trainers to  advancedfront line fighters. The aircraft is part of a proven state-of-art ITS, that includes a wide range of training and mission support tools to develop step-by-step a new student to a M-346 pilot. The M-346 is equipped with an advanced avionics system and man machine interface, developed in collaboration with Leonardo Airborne and Space Systems and with a very advanced  Embedded Tactical Training System (ETTS), that allow students to practice air-to-air and air-to-ground training without using real “enemies” in the air, but by engaging computer generated forces using emulated radar and emulated weapons (both in a stand-alone mode or in a more complex scenario involving others M-346 connected by data-link).

 

The M-346 is not only an excellent Lead-in Fighter Trainer. In the aggressor role the M-346 has already been validated by NATO in a joint exercise in Albacete and by the Italian Air Force in national operations versus the Eurofighter and AMX. The M-346 ITS includes also the first fully operational, air force operated, Live-Virtual-Constructive system that allows one or more real M-346 in the air to be linked and perform a joint mission with one or more pilots on the ground, in the full mission simulator cockpit. The real aircraft and the simulators share the same scenario and the same ETTS virtual enemies/friends. The pilot in the simulator sees the real aircraft on the full mission simulator visual system, while the pilot airborne see the “on-ground” M-346s on the ETTS radar and on the helmet display. Using the real time monitoring station the instructor will monitor all the exercise and he will be able to modify the tactical situation in real-time, adding new virtual targets or a virtual tanker and so on.

 

The new Fighter Trainer (FT) version is a dual role M-346 capable to do both advanced training and air-to-ground and air-to-air missions, thanks to the integration of guided/unguided bombs, rockets, air-to-air missiles, the installation of a radar warning receiver  and chaff & flare dispenser; helmet mounted display  and recce pod. Weapon and systems integration tests have already started. Entry into service is planned in 2018. The M-346 Fighter Trainer is the result of a company funded development, based on the solid market potential for a multi-role variant of  the well established M-346 Advanced Jet Trainer. Several air forces around the world are looking with great interest at this option, that enables this high performance jet trainer capable to be  an effective light combat asset.

 

Helicopters  

Leonardo attends MSPO 2016 highlighting its leading role in the helicopter sector and, in Poland, through PZL-Świdnik, which was acquired in 2010.

 

Celebrating 60 years of the launch of helicopter production in 2016, PZL-Świdnik is the only producer of Polish-designed helicopters, with the full capability in the fields of design, R&D, system integration, manufacturing,  support and training and modernization of rotorcraft. Owing to PZL-Świdnik, Poland is one of just five EU states having the capability to design, produce, develop and service helicopters on their own. PZL-Świdnik presently employs approximately 3300 people, including almost 650 engineers, and cooperates with almost 1000 Polish enterprises, generating almost 4500 additional jobs in the Polish economy. The largest group of its partners are located in south-eastern Poland, including members of the biggest Polish aviation cluster called Aviation Valley and of the Lublin Cluster for Advanced Aerospace Technologies.

 

PZL-Świdnik is one of the biggest employers and taxpayers in the Lublin region and it has produced and delivered more than 7400 helicopters to date to customers in over 40 countries all over the world. PZL-Świdnik is a core partner of the Polish Ministry for National Defence as part of the most important helicopter programmes of the Polish Armed Forces – almost 160 PZL-Świdnik built helicopters are in service with the Polish Armed Forces. Almost 80% of all helicopters delivered to the Polish Armed Forces in the last decade have been those made in Świdnik (SW-4 Puszczyk, W-3PL Głuszec, W-3WA Sokół in VIP version for transportation of top ranking state officials). With the development and testing of the SW-4 ‘Solo’ RUAS/OPH rotorcraft unmanned aerial system/optionally piloted helicopter, Leonardo has launched its first remotely controlled helicopter.  

 

Leonardo’s helicopter static display features a W-3PL Głuszec and an AW149 with a range of mission equipment and weapon systems highlighting the versatility of present and future multirole helicopter technology developed in Poland. The W-3PL Głuszec helicopter is the newest version of the Sokół aircraft modernized to meet combat support standards. The helicopter has state-of-the-art avionics integrated with the mission computer and with the equipment and armament (largely Polish-made) allowing it to fulfil a wide range of combat missions, i.e. CSAR, combat support, troop and cargo transport, convoy duties, surveillance and targeting, and air assault. The first four Głuszec rotorcraft were delivered to the Polish Army in December 2010. The second contract was signed for the upgrade of another four Sokół helicopters to W-3PL standard, with deliveries completed recently.

 

The AW149 is a new generation military medium twin helicopter, the first all new aircraft in its class in nearly 40 years. From battlefield support, transport of troops and material, MEDEVAC, SAR and Combat SAR, command and control or other airborne missions, the AW149 provides the flexibility required of a modern battlefield support helicopter, and executes all these missions with unequalled cost-effectiveness.

 

Land and Naval Defence Electronics division

In Poland Leonardo has a long-standing relationship. Besides having installed three Fixed Air Defence Radar (FADR) systems for the Polish Air force, the company has also supplied the ZSRN automated coastal surveillance system and has been present for a long time with its navigation aids and weather radars. More recently, as part of the BRASS (Broadcast and Ship to Shore) programme, Leonardo has been awarded a contract to provide the Polish Navy with NATO interoperable telecommunications systems.

 

MSPO provides the opportunity to continue to promote our capabilities and solutions in the Land and Naval domain in particular for combat systems, CMS and sensors, battlefield and EO sensors, communication systems, fixed and deployable C4I solution as far as Integrated Air Defence Systems in support of international customer export.

 

Moreover the company pursues the aim to provide the Polish Armed Forces with cost effective solutions for an integrated logistic support related to our systems already installed whilst partnering with local companies and developing local know how and technology.

 

A series of key opportunities are on track including Surface Naval Vessels ("CZAPLA” programme  for  Offshore Patrol Vessel - and "MIECZNIK"  programme for Coastal Defence Ship) for the Polish Navy, and Satellite Communication Systems (HUB station, medium and small satellite terminals) for the Polish Armed Forces.

 

Airborne and Space Systems Division

Recently Leonardo has provided the Polish Air Force with avionics equipment for the AJT programme (Storage Management System, Head-Up Display, Flight Control Computer, radio V/UHF, IFF, etc.) and Full Mission Simulator. Furthermore the company has supplied Multi Mode Receiver (MMR) to Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze for installation on Polish Air Force MiG-29 & Su-22 aircraft.

 

Major business opportunities include: UAV programmes for different classes (MALE, Tactical, MINI and MICRO); avionics equipment, sensors (EW/radar) and simulator for Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) programme; UAS Training Centre for the Polish Air Force; potential trilateral agreement (Germany, Poland, Italy) for new IFF systems named RIFF (Mode 5 Reverse) and a new AESA radar to equip Polish F-16 aircraft; DIRCM self-protection for fixed and rotary wing platforms.

 

Space 

Leonardo is present in the expanding Polish space industry market, where the Company can increasingly play a key role.

 

Leonardo signed in July 2016 a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop te system that will allow Europe to analyse the Moon’s subsoil. The project will see Leonardo engaged for two years in the design, construction and testing of the PROSPECT prototype for Luna-Resurs mission - a partnership between ESA and Roscosmos (the Russian Space Agency), which should land a probe on the Moon in 2021, to search for water and raw materials that might be used for building a future permanent base. For the development of PROSPECT Leonardo will lead a European consortium including ASTRONIKA Sp. z o.o., a SME spin-out company founded with Polish capital by a unique group of engineers from the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

 

Furthermore, through the joint ventures with Thales Alenia Space (which has had a subsidiary in Warsaw since June 2015) and Telespazio, Leonardo supplies the Polish Ministry of Defense with the ground segment for the reception and processing of data and data products generated by Italy's COSMO-SkyMed satellites. Financed by the Italian Space Agency, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Instruction, University and Scientific Research (MIUR), COSMO-SkyMed is one of the most innovative programs in the Earth observation field, conceived to meet civil (environmental monitoring, civil protection) and defense requirements.

 

Leonardo is also active in military and commercial satellite communications (Milsatcom): Telespazio signed in 2009 a 13-year contract with the Polish Ministry of Defence for the use of two UHF channels of SICRAL 1B, the Italian military communications satellite, and is providing Poland with TV broadcasting services.