In April, the first ECRS (European Common Radar System) Mk2 radar for the UK Typhoon fleet was delivered to BAE Systems for integration. The radar, which is being developed at our Edinburgh and Luton sites, features an innovative multi-functional array that can perform both traditional radar functions and electronic warfare tasks. This means that the Eurofighter Typhoon will be able to locate and deny use of an adversary’s radar with a powerful electronic jamming attack, whilst staying beyond the reach of threats.
In the same month, The Fighter Show was launched. Produced by Eurofighter, the video series follows presenter Flo as he travels across Europe to meet Typhoon operators, engineers, pilots and more. In the first episode, we saw Flo arrive in RAF Coningsby to meet Flight Lieutenant Matt Brighty, the latest RAF Typhoon Display Team pilot. Leonardo was proud to sponsor the team once again in 2023, and would support its appearances at various airshows later in the year.
In celebration of the 80th anniversary of our Edinburgh site in 2023, Leonardo SVP for Radar and Advanced Targeting, Mark Stead, reflected on its history and the breakthroughs that have taken place there. We then shared a timeline with weekly entries covering the site’s achievements during each of the past eight decades – starting with its inception as a Ferranti facility to manufacture gyro gunsights for the RAF Spitfire in 1943, all the way through to its role in supplying radars for the Eurofighter Typhoon and work on the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).
Later in the month, the Ministry of Defence announced that it had awarded a contract extension worth £656 million to progress the concepting and technology of the UK’s future combat air capability (FCAS). The new funding will see Leonardo and the other partners of the UK Team Tempest programme, continue the ground-breaking science, research and engineering already completed under the first phase of the contract to support FCAS programmes such as GCAP.
To celebrate World Pilots Day at the end of the month, we began our ‘Meet The Pilots’ series of videos (halfway down page). Featuring the UK pilots who make up the flight test crew at our Yeovil site, the videos gave viewers an insight into life flying above the Home of British Helicopters in our latest rotary-wing aircraft, such as the AW149.