Advancing the country’s sovereign defence capability, Leonardo Australia delivers technologically advanced products, services, and solutions to the nation’s land, air, and sea domains. Giorgio Mantegazza, Chairman of the Board, discusses the company’s unparalleled impact.
PROTECTING AUSTRALIA SINCE 1885
The defence manufacturing landscape in Australia has significantly evolved in recent years, making it both a challenging and exciting environment.
This is primarily due to a number of industry regulatory reviews from the government that have greatly impacted the future of the country’s defence capability.
Namely, the Defence Industry Development Strategy and Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities (SDIPs) offer clear guidance around key sovereign defence requirements. Thus, major industry players have had to carefully assess their future strategies to ensure they meet these evolving national requirements.
As a subsidiary of the global industrial group, Leonardo Australia identifies niche areas in which it can contribute to the requirements of defence across the country and broader Commonwealth.
The group plans to transfer technology, production, and sustainment for its products and services in Australia to effectively provide a comprehensive sovereign defence capability, as well as leveraging its UK and US network to boost capabilities as per the AUKUS defence partnership between the three nations.
“This will translate into an increase in manufacturing capabilities that will also support the rise in demand for defence products in line with the recently-launched rearmament programmes,” opens Giorgio Mantegazza, Chairman of the Board at Leonardo Australia.
The company has been active Down Under since 1885 with the delivery of 30 torpedoes across Australia to Victoria (VIC), South Australia, and Tasmania. It subsequently grew as a systems integrator and partner with both defence and civil customers.
Today, Leonardo Australia is a key player in the aerospace, defence, and security solutions sectors, with a significant in-country base of installed equipment and sites operating in Melbourne, Perth, and the capital, Canberra.
MISSION-READY AIRCRAFT
Leonardo Australia has cultivated a renowned reputation across the nation, with its primary product lines of business in helicopters and electronics.
“We are able to draw on the full capabilities of the global Leonardo group. With a broad portfolio spanning helicopters, aeronautics, electronics, space, and cybersecurity, we are uniquely positioned to deliver comprehensive, turnkey solutions for complex and sophisticated services,” Mantegazza insights.
Leonardo Australia has over 150 helicopters across Australia and New Zealand for a range of applications, namely military, civil, health and emergency services, VIP, and transport and training.
Its services, meanwhile, include aircraft maintenance, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), customer support and account management, and material and product support engineering.
Primarily operating from Port Melbourne and Essendon Fields (EF) in Melbourne, its helicopter services in particular include everything from aircraft painting and component replacement to full helicopter assembly, as well as pre-purchase, pre and post-lease evaluations, and condition inspections.
“These end-to-end services ensure aircraft remain mission-ready, safe, and fully compliant with operational requirements,” he asserts.
The company’s headquarters and core capabilities allow it to deliver defence technologies that facilitate flexible technology transfer and local industrial participation in Australia.
This provides significant advantages for manufacturing and production processes, helping to build Australia’s sovereign capability.
Leonardo currently has C-27J Spartan military transport aircraft in service with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The logistics support and sustainment for the aircraft is provided from Richmond, New South Wales and Amberley, Queensland.
“In collaboration with Leonardo Germany, our electronics capabilities also continue to install new weather radars for the Bureau of Meteorology across the country, including many remote and regional locations,” Mantegazza informs us.
In addition, Leonardo Australia’s cybersecurity technology, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology, and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems have been deployed for the Queensland Police Service and Perth Transport Authority of Western Australia, respectively.
“With a broad portfolio spanning helicopters, aeronautics, electronics, space, and cybersecurity, we are uniquely positioned to deliver comprehensive, turnkey solutions for complex and sophisticated services”
Giorgio Mantegazza, Chairman of the Board, Leonardo Australia
UNPARALLELED CAPABILITIES
Created in collaboration with the Commonwealth, Leonardo Australia’s helicopter main gearbox MRO facility in Port Melbourne is one of three across the world and is the only facility of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
Pointedly, the facility conducts the complete overhaul and testing of Leonardo’s AW139 and NH90 main gearboxes, certified by the aviation safety authorities in Australia and Europe.
The MRO facility’s core capabilities are unlocked by a custom-designed and manufactured 120-tonne test bench capable of autonomously operating gearboxes by reproducing and simulating the dynamics of flight conditions in helicopter transmissions.
The cutting-edge bench is also able to accommodate the various gearbox types of a range of helicopters.
“With complex electrical power, hydraulic, lubrication, and rotor systems, it can simulate dual jet engine inputs at 21,000 revolutions per minute, ensuring each gearbox meets the operational specifications for high performance and guarantees product safety,” Mantegazza explains.
The MRO facility has extended Leonardo Australia’s industrial aerospace proficiency with capabilities including non-destructive testing, an aerospace-grade paint booth, an electroplating facility, sophisticated surface finishing and cleaning equipment, a machining shop, and a state-of-the-art parts warehouse.
It is overseen by an all-Australian team of 15 aviation technicians and engineers who have undertaken more than 12 months of dedicated transmissions training in both Australia and Italy.
“The MRO capabilities afforded by the facility will primarily support emergency medical services in Australia and the defence sector throughout the Asia Pacific (APAC) region with the overhaul of main gearboxes locally,” he elaborates.
ENHANCED ELECTRONICS
On the electronics side of the business, the ANZAC Communications Upgrade Programme is particularly important to Leonardo Australia as it upgrades the communications systems on eight ANZAC-class frigates utilised by the Royal Australian Navy.
“This is the first defence electronics programme for Leonardo Australia and has provided the local capability to expand our electronics services,” Mantegazza tells us.
In light of its long history of providing torpedoes to Australia, the company has also been selected to support the integration of the torpedo launch system for the Australian government’s SEA5000 Hunter-class frigates.
Leveraging these capabilities, Leonardo Australia is actively pursuing other defence electronics opportunities such as communications, combat systems, armaments, ammunition, and guided weapons.
With this in mind, the company is engaged in F-35 Lightning II electronics and avionics maintenance, SEA3000 general purpose frigates, LAND 8710 landing craft, and the Guided Weapons and Explosives Ordinance Enterprise.
Leonardo Australia is additionally well-positioned to support upcoming infrastructure programmes across airports, ports, and metro systems with its integrated technologies.
These include advanced air traffic management systems for both manned and uncrewed aircraft, airport surveillance and cyber solutions, baggage handling automation, port management information systems, and SCADA systems.
“We’re excited to grow into these new areas as we can draw on Leonardo’s global expertise and flexible technologies to deliver smart, effective solutions that improve operations and help keep communities safe across the aviation, transport, and maritime sectors,” Mantegazza prides.
“In-country repair, overhaul, and component sustainment are not just operational enhancements – they are critical to maintaining platform readiness, reducing turnaround times, and easing the logistical burden on defence in an increasingly volatile global environment”
Giorgio Mantegazza, Chairman of the Board, Leonardo Australia
STEADFAST SOCIAL COMMITMENTS
Leonardo Australia contributes to the socioeconomic development of the communities in which it operates by transferring its technologies and expertise.
This is evidenced by its active participation in local bodies to support and grow its communities, such as FB IDEAs, a new not-for-profit that promotes a collaborative culture in Fishermans Bend, Australia’s largest urban renewal project in Melbourne.
VicWorx, a proposed innovation hub at Fishermans Bend, aims to bring together small to medium-sized defence enterprises and research institutions to provide a reliable means for fostering innovation, collaboration, and problem-solving.
“The long-term vision is to develop a collaborative hub designed to bolster Victoria’s advanced manufacturing and defence technology sectors,” states Mantegazza.
In addition, Leonardo Australia offers guided tours of its MRO and hangar facilities in order to share its industry knowledge and operational expertise with universities and flight academy students.
“These visits provide students with a real-world perspective on aircraft maintenance, engineering practices, and the day-to-day workings of a professional aviation environment,” he comments.
In support of its Indigenous engagement commitments, Leonardo Australia additionally celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as traditional custodians of the land and recognises the present and future generations of the Kulin Nation.
As an equal opportunity company, Leonardo Australia is likewise committed to increasing its engagement with Indigenous enterprises and their communities and works hard to develop these long-term relationships.
“We have successfully built relationships with Indigenous communities, as well as employment agencies and businesses in Melbourne and Perth where we have a significant technical employee base comprising maintenance, repair, installation, and engineering capabilities,” he outlines.
ON THE HORIZON
Leonardo Australia is proud to have technologies and innovative solutions that are trusted to satisfy the Australian government in critical sectors such as defence, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and mobility.
Leonardo Australia is therefore focused on the continued improvement and enhancement of its ongoing programmes, including the ramp-up of the AW139 main gearbox, SEA1442 Phase 4 and 5, weather radar installations for the Bureau of Meteorology, and its ANPR system.
“Besides our ongoing programmes, we are following with great attention the development of the Australian market and the new requirements expressed in the various reviews issued by the Ministry of Defence,” Mantegazza sets out.
Indeed, Leonardo Australia is proposing its M-346 jet aircraft to respond to the AIR6002 programme for the replacement of RAAF’s Hawk training aircraft with a new lead-in fighter training system.
“This is the most advanced jet trainer present in the market, and the new Block 20 version will grant the full ability to train pilots for decades to come,” he explains.
In the naval sector, meanwhile, Leonardo Australia is promoting the 127-millimetre (mm) gun used for Project Sea 3000 and the 30mm gun used for the Project Land 8710.
“These guns, together with their guided and pre-fragmentated ammunitions, will provide unique capabilities to the Australian Armed Forces and represent the best value-for-money solution.”
The company is also working with local agencies and universities to develop solutions in the aerospace sector, working in the areas of earth observation, satellite sensors, and payloads.
Leonardo Australia is additionally involved in several initiatives concerning cybersecurity and automation, working with its local partners to provide valuable solutions for airports, ports, and border control.
“Our cutting-edge technologies are ideal to satisfy Australian requirements, and with the dedicated transfer of technology programmes, we will be able to assure strategic sovereign capabilities in all these critical sectors,” Mantegazza concludes.
