German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and Italian defense company Leonardo are planning a 50:50 partnership in Italy to develop and commercialize armored vehicles for the European market. The plan, outlined in a memorandum of understanding that the two companies signed on Wednesday, focuses on the Italian Army’s ground systems programs on a new main battle tank...
Category: Investment Security
Airbus Working to Acquire Specific Spirit AeroSystems’ Aircraft Parts Production Activities
Airbus has announced an agreement with Spirit AeroSystems to acquire some of the latter’s operations, particularly the manufacture of key aircraft components. The “definitive agreement” could lead to the purchase of Spirit’s specific activities, including the production sites for A350 fuselage sections and A220 pylons in the United States, Airbus said. The ongoing transaction would also...
Senator Cosponsors Bill to Address Conflict of Interest in Government Contracting
The chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has thrown his support behind the passage of a bill that would bar companies working with adversarial nations from doing business with the U.S. government. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., cosponsored the Time to Choose Act, which aims to prevent U.S. enemies such as Russia...
Spain, Luxembourg Join NATO Project to Provide Alliance With Satcom Support
Spain and Luxembourg will join the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Italy in a collaborative effort to provide NATO with satellite communications services. Starting in 2025, Madrid and Luxembourg will start working on the NATO Satcom Services 6th Generation project, a $1.07 billion program designed to meet the alliance’s military satcom requirements through...
Former US Secnav Richard Spencer to Replace John Rothwell as Austal Chairman
Richard Spencer, former U.S. secretary of the Navy, has been selected to replace John Rothwell as chairman of Perth, Australia-based Austal. Rothwell will step down on Monday after nearly four decades in the role. As Austal’s new chair, Spencer said he will build on Rothwell’s yearslong work, which enabled the company to achieve its current...
Safran, MTU to Develop New Engine for Europe’s Future Military Helicopter
France’s Safran Helicopter Engines said it has established a joint venture with German manufacturer MTU Aero Engines to develop an engine for the next generation of European military helicopters. Called European Military Rotorcraft Engine Alliance, or EURA, the joint venture will operate from France and will be managed by a CEO to be selected from...
Tiziana Cotugno to Lead L3Harris Europe as Company’s Regional Expansion Advances; Dave Johnson Quoted
L3Harris Technologies has announced the appointment of Tiziana Cotugno as head of L3Harris Europe. She will be based in Rome to oversee the L3Harris European advisory board composed of directors and regional business leaders. The company announced the opening of the new L3Harris office in the Italian capital as part of its European expansion to...
BAE Systems Expects Increased AMPV Orders From Army, Foreign Governments; Bill Sheehy Quoted
BAE Systems is looking to expand Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle production capabilities as it expects new orders from the United States and potential new customers. At Eurosatory 2024 in June, William “Bill” Sheehy, program director for AMPV at BAE Systems, told reporters that the company already plans to produce 220 AMPVs at its York factory annually....
US, Canada Host Joint Exercise on Supply Chain Disruption Management
The United States and Canada showed commitment to ensuring seamless movement of goods along their borders with the staging of an exercise on supply chain disruption. Held in early June and hosted by the Department of Homeland Security’s Supply Chain and Resilience Center, the Department of Transportation and Transport Canada, the joint drill featured a...
Leonardo’s Southern Italy Facility to Pause Boeing 787 Production, Begin AW609 Tiltrotor Assembly
Leonardo has selected the site for the final assembly of its AW609 tiltrotor aircraft in Italy. On Monday, the company met with trade union representatives to share the next steps in its Grottaglie production site diversification plan. The Grottaglie plant located near Taranto, Puglia, in southern Italy was originally built for the production of Boeing...