Helicopters, Leonardo bets on Italy for future supplies

The Leonardo group, through its helicopter division, is betting on the Italian industrial fabric with the aim of flanking the existing production chain with a new ecosystem, capable of reducing dependence on foreign countries and, at the same time, enhancing the local excellence of Made in Italy, in a crucial phase for the defence sector. The Italian aerospace giant launched the Grow Together programme in the spring of 2024, and today, one year on, there are 150 Italian companies currently on track to become suppliers to the group led by Roberto Cingolani. The first supplies are scheduled for 2026.

The final target, Leonardo's engineers explain, is to build, 'together with private and public partners, an industrial fabric capable of supporting national technological development and strengthening the country's competitiveness at international level'. The project started from a careful analysis of the helicopter market, which is expanding: by 2029, the company foresees, for the division, 'a growth in orders of 3%, revenues of 6%, and Ebitda of 7.4%; numbers that require a solid, reliable supply chain, ready to accompany the group's momentum'.

Currently, the helicopter branch buys, in total, around EUR 3 billion per year in supplies, of which around 65% come from international players. The programme, which has been set up, aims to allocate an increasing share of the requirement for so-called bottleneck items, i.e. critical components for production continuity, to Italian manufacturing. These are, the engineers clarify, 'high value-added and operationally important elements, the absence of which can slow down or stop entire production lines. Since they are to be installed on helicopters, they must be certified according to international aviation regulations and are, therefore, subject to high standards of design, production, testing and traceability'.

For this, their supply 'requires technologically and organisationally sound companies, in possession of, or in a position to obtain, the necessary certifications required for the sector'. Today, Leonardo helicopters makes purchases in this specific category worth about 1.3 billion (only 20% in Italy) and estimates that they will increase by 30% over the next five years, 'in line with the recently presented industrial plan update'.

With Crescere insieme, in short, say the company, 'the aim is to support the development of a solid and avant-garde Italian supply chain, enhancing existing skills and encouraging their integration. The project accompanies companies along a path of growth, in all areas, both technical and managerial,' supporting them in their efforts to overcome the barriers to entry that characterise the vertical flight market. The transfer of technological know-how to smaller companies, moreover, assure the technicians, 'is a central pillar of the initiative, as these realities represent the engine of diversification and specialisation of the value chain'.