Taken off from the Caselle plant (Turin), the latest and most advanced Eurofighter Typhoon produced by Leonardo for the Italian Air Force was delivered today during a ceremony and will be one of the interceptor fighters engaged daily in protecting the skies of our country . Present at the event were the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, Air Squad General, Alberto Rosso, the Chief Executive Officer of Leonardo, Alessandro Profumo and the Head of Leonardo's Aircraft Division, Marco Zoff.
"The collaboration path we are celebrating today, represented by an aircraft with extraordinary capabilities, is the result of a long-term, political and industrial strategic supranational vision, which has allowed Europe to have its own security asset and to benefit of a program that has been able to be a technological accelerator and a unique development engine in the history of our continent ", declared Alessandro Profumo, CEO of Leonardo. "The Eurofighter Typhoon will be a key element in the path of innovation aimed at safeguarding full European technological sovereignty in the coming years".
"The delivery of the latter aircraft, which completes the Eurofighter fleet which is the main instrument of the articulated and complex national and NATO air defense system, represents a milestone for the program". These are the words of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General of the air squad Alberto Rosso, on the sidelines of the handover ceremony of the aircraft, which will be destined for the 51st Wing of Istrana.
"The aircraft, which has proven to be a reliable, flexible and versatile machine, is preparing to face new technological challenges to continue to ensure the safety of Italian skies and the defense of national interests, thanks to a wide range of capabilities. operational complementary to those of air defense, from Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) to ground attack (swing role). The capabilities that this structure is able to express today are the result of the close and fruitful collaboration between the national aeronautical industry and the Air Force; a synergy that, in addition to supporting and strengthening the "country system" with ever greater vigor, contributes decisively to fulfilling our mission, the safety of citizens ".
Eurofighter was born as an open platform, with a well-defined technological updating and improvement program, which guarantees its competitiveness throughout its life cycle. Constantly evolving technologies, both on board the aircraft and in the logistical support, increase its operational effectiveness, survival skills and management economy. The Eurofighter program constitutes the hub of European aerospace and defense technology and as such provides the industries involved with a technological leadership that will guarantee competitiveness in numerous future next generation programs.
Leonardo with its activities achieves about 36% of the value of the entire program with a key role in the aeronautical component and in that of on-board electronics, which sees the company responsible for two primary sensors (radar and IRST) and parts fundamentals of avionics. Leonardo is also the protagonist of the evolution of the Eurofighter, thanks to the new AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) electronic scanning radar which increases the aircraft's performance and competitiveness with a view to guaranteeing its positioning in a significant international market for the next decade. The Eurofighters destined for the Kuwait Air Force are currently in production at the Caselle plant, the first to be delivered in this highly advanced configuration.
