Leonardo signed today at ADEX, the International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition, an agreement with Hanwha Systems, a leading South Korean aerospace company, to jointly provide avionics and mission systems to the country and to other international customers. Initially the collaboration will be aimed at the development and supply of research, detection and tracking systems for hunting aircraft.
Leonardo will provide the know-how and experience gained in international programs such as Eurofighter Typhoon and Gripen-E, for which the company provides advanced aircraft systems.
Under the agreement, Leonardo plans to locate part of the production of sensors developed in Hanwha in South Korea, thus contributing to the development of national industrial capacities in high technology.
Leonardo has a solid experience in the field of electronics for combat aircraft. In the IRST (Infra-Red Search and Track) systems, for example, the company provides the "Skyward-G" system for the Gripen-E and leads the EuroFIRST consortium to provide the 'PIRATE' sensor (Passive InfraRed Airborne Track Equipment) ) IRST for the Eurofighter Typhoon. The PIRATE has been extensively tested by the Air Force of the United Kingdom and Italy and will also be installed on the Typhoon for Kuwait, the most recent Eurofighter customer. With years of investment in signal processing and analysis software, central to any IRST system, Leonardo will be able to work with Hanwha Systems to provide an effective sensor that can accurately recognize and track targets, even two at the same time, although much close together.
Another area of collaboration is that of electro-optical pointing systems where Leonardo will contribute with his experience as a laser-pointing supplier for a wide range of advanced aircraft. These include laser designators for the Sniper® and LITENING pods and the electro-optical pointing systems for the F-35 and Apache helicopters. Leonardo has a market share of about 75% of the world market for high energy laser targeting systems for military use and the new collaboration with Hanwha Systems will therefore result in the creation of an international electropower system for Korea and for the export customers.
The agreement will further expand the activities in South Korea, a strategic market for Leonardo. Significant success was achieved with the supply of AW159 helicopters to the South Korean Navy (RoKN) to meet its naval requirements. RoKN's AW159 integrates Leonardo's avionics, such as the HIDAS self-protection system (Helicopter Defensive Aids Suite) extensively tested in the operations of the British Armed Forces in Afghanistan, the ESA Seaspray 7000E electronic scanning radar and the SAGE, the most recent among the electronic self-protection systems developed by the company.
To these are added 50 helicopters of Leonardo of various types currently in service in the country or ordered for military, commercial and public utility tasks, including also AW159. The machines are used for applications ranging from emergency medical services to search and rescue, from public order to fire protection, to VIP and corporate transport.
