Leonardo, a global high-technology company, is attending Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA), starting next week in Malaysia (23-26 May, Chalet D02), promoting military fixed and rotary-winged platforms and naval capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.
2023 marks the 40th anniversary of Leonardo presence in Malaysia: while the company changed its name during those years, its people, products and solid ties with the Country remained and grew stronger, with Malaysia becoming the Asia-Pacific hub for important aviation activities, including the establishment of a helicopters regional maintenance, training and logistics facility, serving an international fleet of more than 200 platforms in service, with over 60 helicopters delivered in Malaysia in the last 10 years.
Leonardo Malaysia, established in Kuala Lumpur, counts 150 Malaysian colleagues, while the figure raises at almost 350, including people employed by its joint ventures companies. Among these, over 100 highly qualified engineers, specialised technicians, logistic specialists and training instructors, operating their services on Leonardo AW119, AW109, AW139, AW169, AW189, and AW159 helicopters in the ASEAN region.
Additionally, the company has supplied the Royal Malaysian Navy with naval guns such as the OTO 76/62 SR Super Rapid, light torpedoes and heavy Black Shark torpedoes. Supporting the monitoring of Malaysia’s airspace for both civil and defence applications, Leonardo provided its RAT31DL and RAT31 SL/E. Leonardo has also delivered Air Traffic Management solutions for the last 30 years in Malaysia, to clients including national Civil Aviation Authority, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad and the Royal Malaysian Air Force.
Leonardo is proud to have been selected by Royal Malaysian Air Force to supply two units of the ATR 72MPA/ASW. With the increasing demand for Maritime Patrol platforms to enhance maritime security in the region, Leonardo believes that this platform offers the most comprehensive and effective response. The company is the aircraft Original Equipment Manufacturer, providing the ATR platform equipped with ATOS (Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance) mission system, sensors, communications and ground station. The company is also turn-key system integrator on this platform.
At the forefront of maritime patrol capability, the ATR 72MP enables defence, homeland security and environmental protection missions. Leonardo's ATOS mission system, the operational heart of the aircraft, integrates all of the aircraft’s on-board sensors, including the Leonardo Seaspray 7300E V2 radar and ULISSES (Ultra-LIght SonicS Enhanced System), acquiring information and delivering it to the crew via an optimised human-machine interface. By managing all the on-board sensors and providing an optimised situational awareness picture to the operator, ATOS will reduce crew fatigue, particularly in mundane maritime environments. The ATR-based special mission aircraft is ideally suited to meet the growing requirements in the APAC region, benefitting from the extended logistics support, already assured to many regional ATR operators.
As confirmed also by the recent selection of the AW139 by the Royal Malaysian Navy and Air Force, Leonardo is an established provider for military and government solutions. At LIMA, Leonardo will be honoured to host – in the display area – an AW189 helicopter from Malaysia Fire and Rescue Department (Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia), together with an AW109 that will be providing Helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) services in Malaysia. The AW189 has proven extremely successful in Asia for a range of roles including public services and offshore transport. Leonardo is also promoting in the region the AW149, designed as a multi-role military helicopter, already in-service internationally, including in South East Asia, and ready to replace ageing battlefield helicopter fleets.
At LIMA, Leonardo is also highlighting its capabilities in the Naval sector, which includes fully-integrated Combat Systems, with its Vulcano 76 and DART guided ammunitions. Some of these technologies are demonstrated on the Italian Navy’s Multi-purpose Offshore Patrol Vessel (PPA) Francesco Morosini, which will stop in LIMA as part of its tour of the Far East. The Morosini vessel, designed for dual-use missions, integrates several latest-generation systems by Leonardo, including the ATHENA MK2, a naval cockpit of new generation with only two operators needed to conduct ship and quick reaction operations, and the new electro-optical DSS-IRST (Distributed Static Staring-InfraRed Search and Tracking System), that protects the ship from multiple threats along coastal areas (Littoral) and on the open sea (Blue Water).
