Leonardo has been present in Poland for many years with many important investments and it has been one of the main plays in Poland over these years, Marco Lupo the president of Leonardo Poland stated in an interview with defensehere.
Leonardo, one of the biggest defense manufacturers in the world, displayed some of its latest systems and defense products at MSPO held last month in Kielce, Poland.
Among other systems, Leonardo displayed mainly technology and product innovations related to the aeronautical sector, with a particular focus on the Eurofighter Typhoon program, the multirole military AW149 helicopter, which was recently selected by the Polish MoD, uncrewed systems for the Polish MoD “Gryf” program and ammunition Vulcano.
It is also worth mentioning that Leonardo established in 2019, “Leonardo Poland” a local company in Poland to strengthen it commitment to the country and its security even further.
Asked about the Eurofighter and what it could provide Pland with, Lupo stated that the war in Ukraine has proved that there is an increasing importance for air dominance and superiority and for that Leonardo is Proposing the Eurofighter to the Polish Armed Forces.
According to Eurofighter’s website, the aircraft delivers an enviable level of flexibility and efficiency, while possessing both adequate weapon availability and sufficient processing power to simultaneously support missile in-flight updates and bomb in-flight targeting.
Further taking about the long history the company has had with Poland Lupo said, “In the past, we have also provided the m346 trainer, 16 aircraft are currently operated by the the Air Force in the Dęblin air base very successfully.”
“The same aircraft is also the backbone of the International Flight Training School; it is an initiative, a joint initiative between Leonardo and the Italian Air Force very successfully, where the pilots are trained to to be able to to pilot the most modern fighters in Europe in this part of the world,” he added.
Lupo also touched on the purchase of Poland for multiple 155 mm howitzers, proposing the sales of 155mm Leonardo-made ammunition to Poland, saying “We are proposing the guided ammunition, in particular the 155 millimeters guided ammunition that is called the Vulcano. It is an ammunition that includes a guiding system and aerodynamic wings, allowing this ammunition to have a fantastic performance in terms of range, in terms of precision.”
“For the naval domain. We are proposing our 76mm guns for the Miecznik programs, the new frigates for the Polish Navy. This system will be probably provided in the version called STRALIS with the radiometer that is able to guide the the ammunition,” he added
Lupo also mentioned that Leonardo is proposing its Falco EVO Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to Poland saying “We are proposing the one of the products of our family, it is called the Falco EVO. It is a tactical MALE (Medium-altitude long-endurance) with maximum take-off weight of around 600 to 650 kilos, with very good performances in terms of surveillance, reconnaissance,” he also underlined that the UAV has a well proven history of high efficiency saying “It has been already operated by many countries and also international entities like United Nations and other entities around the world, so not only for military applications, but also for civilian applications.”
LEONARDO Poland
Established in January 2019 as part of Leonardo International Spa, Leonardo Poland sp. z o.o. represents Leonardo's commitment to Poland, with the aim of developing relationships with all main stakeholders and supporting its Divisions and companies to strengthen their presence on the Polish market. Leonardo Poland is able to offer a team of experts in the areas dedicated to business development, marketing, research and intelligence, institutional and political affairs, military relations and public procurement.
