May was a month of headline visits and recognition for Leonardo.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited our Electronic Warfare Centre of Excellence in Luton to see first-hand the expertise behind BriteStorm – our latest electronic warfare payload that will be integrated with the Royal Air Force’s game-changing StormShroud autonomous collaborative platform. This technology, developed at Luton, is designed to suppress and deceive enemy air defence systems, ensuring mission success in contested environments.
During the visit, the Prime Minister met some of the apprentices and early careers professionals developing their skills with Leonardo, praising them for their vital role in delivering life-saving technology to UK armed forces. Among the capability showcased was the Integrated Sensing and Non-Kinetic Effects (ISANKE) and Integrated Communications Systems (ICS) being developed by Leonardo for the UK’s Future Combat Air System capability as part of Team Tempest. Former apprentices, now in senior engineering roles, also demonstrated other cutting-edge facilities at Luton, including our anechoic chamber for sensor testing.
The visit was an unforgettable experience for colleagues like Elin Esnard, who hosted the Prime Minister and shared her journey from apprentice to Senior Systems Technician, before introducing Sir Kier, who addressed the site’s 1,000+ employees, emphasising the importance of their work to our national security and encouraging apprentices to share their stories to inspire the next generation.
The Prime Minister later took to social media to highlight his visit and the importance of apprenticeships, sharing his personal commitment to promoting these opportunities.
The 80th anniversary of VE Day was celebrated across our UK sites during the month, sharing cherished family stories and remembering the generation who gave so much for our future. Geoff Ramsay, Lead Software Engineer, reflected on his family’s remarkable military history spanning four generations, reinforcing the importance of remembrance and connection.
May also saw Leonardo feature prominently at industry events. At Cyber UK, we shared thought leadership on elevating digital assurance in policing and next-generation compliance. We also sponsored, exhibited and presented at the Combined Naval Event (CNE 2025) where we unveiled our final design of Proteus at an event for the first time. In addition, CNE 2025 saw us showcase our vision for how Force Sensing in contested and congested environments can help naval commands achieve concepts such as mass, interoperability and interchangeability at sea. At AOC Europe in Rome, we demonstrated our multi-domain protection and EW simulation capabilities, reinforcing our position as a trusted partner in defence innovation.
Finally, Leonardo was proud to be listed in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025 in the ‘Very Big Organisation’ category, following recent recognition in LinkedIn’s Top Companies and Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work. We were also excited to be named as a Sunday Times Best Places to Work for Apprentices later in the year. These achievements reflect our ongoing commitment to creating a positive employee experience and fostering an inclusive, supportive workplace.