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Leonardo Weapon Systems

Leonardo is Italy's major aerospace, defence, and security group, formerly Finmeccanica, whose cataloged systems span helicopters, trainer aircraft, multirole fighters, and defense electronics.

4 weapon systems

Leonardo is Italy's major aerospace, defence, and security group, headquartered in Rome and active across helicopters, aircraft, aerostructures, electronics, cyber, and space. The archive page groups cataloged systems that appear under Leonardo and its predecessor brands, including legacy Finmeccanica-era aircraft lines.

The company was established in 1948 as Finmeccanica and later adopted the Leonardo name. That lineage matters for the catalog because older designations, joint-venture names, and current Leonardo pages often describe the same industrial family of aircraft and defense systems.

HelicoptersMilitary aircraftTrainer aircraftElectronics and sensorsAerostructures

Notable Systems

AW-109

Cataloged Leonardo and AgustaWestland light helicopter family that represents the group's rotorcraft lineage.

Sources: Leonardo AW109 GrandNew

Eurofighter Typhoon

Cataloged consortium multirole fighter with Leonardo as one of the industrial partners and a major electronics contributor.

Sources: Leonardo Eurofighter Typhoon

Panavia Tornado

Cataloged tri-national strike aircraft family that appears in Leonardo's heritage and development history.

Sources: Leonardo Tornado ECR

SF-260

Cataloged Italian trainer and light attack aircraft that continues the Aermacchi line under Leonardo.

Sources: Leonardo SF-260 history article

Builder History

1948-03-18
Finmeccanica founded
Leonardo's 75th-anniversary material says the company was established on 18 March 1948 under the name Finmeccanica.
Sources: Leonardo 1948-1959, Leonardo Italy
2018-04-01
Leonardo name adopted
Leonardo's UK heritage page says the company was rebranded from Finmeccanica to Leonardo from 1 April 2018.
Sources: Leonardo UK heritage, Leonardo history
2026-05-07
Current shareholding context published
Leonardo's 2026 shareholders' meeting materials identify the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance as holding around 30.204% of the company's share capital.
Sources: Leonardo composition, Leonardo shareholders' meeting 2026

Predecessors

Finmeccanica

Website links

Leonardo home Leonardo history Leonardo contacts Leonardo investors Leonardo Italy

Leonardo is the current name of Finmeccanica, so older brand references are retained as aliases and predecessor context. The profile keeps the public record focused on sourced corporate history and cataloged product families rather than conflict-use claims.

Builder Sources

Leonardo homePublisher: Leonardo | Note: Supports Leonardo's current public-facing identity and broad aerospace, defence, and security positioning. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Leonardo ItalyPublisher: Leonardo | Note: Supports Leonardo's Italy-based industrial role and the company's statement that it has been active since 1948. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Leonardo historyPublisher: Leonardo | Note: Supports the former Finmeccanica name and the modern Leonardo rebrand context. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Leonardo 1948-1959Publisher: Leonardo | Note: Supports the 1948 founding of Finmeccanica and the company's initial industrial structure. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Leonardo UK heritagePublisher: Leonardo in the UK | Note: Supports the announced rebrand from Finmeccanica to Leonardo from 1 April 2018. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Leonardo contactsPublisher: Leonardo | Note: Supports the registered head office address at Piazza Monte Grappa 4 in Rome, Italy. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Leonardo compositionPublisher: Leonardo | Note: Supports the Ministry of Economy and Finance ownership context and the approximately 30.204% shareholding figure. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Finmeccanica sede centralePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the geotagged Piazza Monte Grappa headquarters site and the map center used for the Leonardo profile location field. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Leonardo shareholders' meeting 2026Publisher: Leonardo | Note: Supports the 7 May 2026 meeting at Leonardo's headquarters in Rome and the current corporate-reference context. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Leonardo AW109 GrandNewPublisher: Leonardo Helicopters | Note: Supports the AW109 GrandNew helicopter family and Leonardo's rotorcraft product line. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Leonardo Eurofighter TyphoonPublisher: Leonardo Aeronautics | Note: Supports Leonardo's role in the Eurofighter Typhoon programme and the aircraft's combat-aircraft background. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Leonardo Tornado ECRPublisher: Leonardo | Note: Supports Leonardo's Tornado heritage, including the ECR and development context tied to the tri-national programme. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Leonardo SF-260 history articlePublisher: Leonardo | Note: Supports the SF-260 family history, the 900th delivery milestone, and Leonardo's continuing Aermacchi lineage. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
AW109 GrandNew.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing for the AW109 GrandNew photo used on the builder profile. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

AW-109, Light twin-engine attack and utility helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs

Battle of Marawi, Boko Haram InsurgencyAW-109Light twin-engine attack and utility helicopterBuilt in: ItalyThe AW-109 is a light twin-engine helicopter family built by AgustaWestland, now Leonardo. Armed and utility AW109 variants have been used by the Philippine Air Force for close support at Marawi and by the Nigerian Air Force as Agusta 109 LUH/A109 LUH combat-support aircraft in Operation Lafiya Dole during the Boko Haram Insurgency.

SF-260, Trainer and light attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Battle of MarawiSF-260Trainer and light attack aircraftBuilt in: ItalyThe SF-260 is an Italian trainer and light attack aircraft designed by Stelio Frati and built by SIAI-Marchetti and later Aermacchi/Leonardo. In the Battle of Marawi, Philippine Air Force SF-260s were used as light attack air-support aircraft alongside helicopters, OV-10s, and FA-50s against IS-aligned militant positions in dense urban terrain.

Eurofighter Typhoon, Twin-engine multirole combat aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Operation Inherent Resolve, Red Sea Crisis +1 moreEurofighter TyphoonTwin-engine multirole combat aircraftBuilt in: United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and SpainThe Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta multirole fighter built by the European Eurofighter consortium. In the Yemen Civil War context, Royal Saudi Air Force Typhoons are documented as coalition combat aircraft used for airstrike and interdiction missions, supported by UK-supplied weapons and fleet-support arrangements.

Panavia Tornado, Twin-engine variable-sweep wing multirole strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Yemen Civil WarPanavia TornadoTwin-engine variable-sweep wing multirole strike aircraftBuilt in: Germany, United Kingdom, and ItalyThe Panavia Tornado is a European twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft built by a UK-German-Italian consortium for low-level strike, interdiction, reconnaissance, and air-defense variants. In the Yemen Civil War, Royal Saudi Air Force Tornados formed part of the Saudi-led coalition's air campaign, with direct reporting documenting a Tornado on a close-air-support mission in al-Jawf in February 2020.