With a solid presence in the United Arab Emirates, Leonardo is participating in the Dubai Airshow 2023 (13-17 November) with its core skills in the field of electronics and helicopters, in systems and solutions for training and in support and assistance, also looking at the country's strong interest in new sectors of development and technological innovation such as Artificial Intelligence, Space and Cyber Security.
Leonardo has been present for almost 50 years in the United Arab Emirates, one of the company's major export markets worldwide characterized by extensive diversification in the type of supplies and collaborations, both in the civil and defense sectors. There are over 100 helicopters used in the country for institutional transport, support for the energy industry, rescue and security, with one of the main logistics centers created together with the local partner Abu Dhabi Aviation. Furthermore, 45 ships of the Emirates Navy are equipped with Leonardo systems, radar, communications and artillery. Another flagship is represented by the Aermacchi MB-339 training aircraft and the technologies deployed for the training of pilots of the national aerobatic team Al Fursan.
Among the company's objectives, there is now that of strengthening the strategic partnership with the country and increasing cooperation with local companies and institutions also in new areas, both from an industrial and technological point of view, and in terms of development and training of qualified skills. For example in the space sector, where Leonardo covers the entire value chain, from the manufacturing of satellites and orbiting infrastructures, to the production of equipment and sensors high tech and the management of satellite services, up to propulsion and launch systems, thus positioning itself as an ideal partner for new initiatives.
Added to this is Cyber Security. In this sector, together with the recent cooperation with Khalifa University for cybersecurity training programs at the Abu Dhabi campus, the company is ready to deploy its expertise in solutions for the resilience of digital infrastructures from cyber attacks, from cyber intelligence, to threat monitoring and analysis and response capabilities. Furthermore, the cyber environment is pervasive and will become increasingly so in the future, requiring a strong commitment to securing, right from the initial design phase, not only IT and physical infrastructures but also systems and platforms, communications and in mobility.
In these new areas of technological development, the centrality of data and the related activities of collection, analysis, use and protection are fundamental aspects, which Leonardo can address thanks to the capabilities of high performance computing and Artificial Intelligence, among the most powerful in the world today available in the field of the aeronautical, defense and security industry. The davinci-1 HPC contributes enormously to accelerating digitalization processes thanks to its 200 servers, 5 million billion operations per second and 20 million gigabytes of memory. In this way Leonardo is able to support government bodies and institutions in their digital transformation paths, to the benefit of the security and quality of services to communities.
However, Leonardo continues to present some at the Dubai Airshow capability technological, confirming the solidity and competitiveness of its role in the sectors core. On display is the TMMR (Tactical Multi Mission Radar), a multi-domain radar and dual use for anti-drone and Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) scenarios, for short-range air defense, for the protection of platforms and vehicles, borders, territories and critical infrastructures. The sensor is also present airborne multi-function electronically scanned Osprey, for surveillance both on land and at sea.
Finally, on static display, an AW169 helicopter of the Guardia di Finanza, one of the most recent, complete and sophisticated configurations of this model - characterized, among other things, by a high concentration of proprietary technologies also in sensors and mission equipment – which will be engaged in demonstration activities in the country in the coming weeks. The introduction of the version with skids, the increase in performance and advanced features dedicated for search and rescue, in addition to the advantages that may derive from the expected increase in weight and load capacity of the aircraft, make the AW169 the ideal solution to modernize the fleets used in the region both for public utility tasks and to support the energy industry.
