Alenia Realigns European Partnerships and Company Names

"Participation by Alenia Aerospazio as risk-sharing partner in the A380 Airbus program, agreed last December, has been welcomed by the Finmeccanica company's president, Giorgio Zappa. "Alenia's industrial involvement and investment in the A380 confirms leadership of the Italian company in aerostructures production for the major international aeronautical industries," he said. "In addition, this agreement will increase the company's confidence in overcoming the next two years expected crisis."

This further success, as well as the recent agreement for the ETAP military aeronautics R&D program, strengthens Alenia's forefront position in the European contest, and confirms its commitment in the most important international strategic programs."

Alenia's industrial role on the A380 program will be the design and production of a fully-fitted section of the central fuselage in three pieces, as well as related engineering work.

Later in December, the Aeronautics Division of Alenia Aerospazio was transferred to a new company known as Alenia Aeronautica SA, which became operational from January 1, 2002. Giorgio Zappa remains chairman of Alenia Aeronautica, as well as Alenia Spazio SpA.

Further Finmeccanica developments late last year included reorganization by its SIFI subsidiary and BAE Systems of their joint-venture Alenia Marconi Systems (AMS) radar, defense and air traffic equipment and management systems, to improve its market prospects. Under the reorganization, BAE Systems' Combat & Radar Systems has been transferred to AMS, whose missiles activities have been switched to MBDA, Europe's new multi-national guided weapons group. MBDA shareholdings comprise 37.5% each by BAE Systems and EADS, and the remaining 25% by Finmeccanica.

More recently, the Avionics Systems & Equipment Division of Finmeccanica's Alenia Difesa group has been renamed Galileo Avionica. Its activities include design, development, test and production of avionics, airborne radars (through FIAR), and optronics. It also undertakes similar work on fire-control systems for MTBs, AFVs, and AA guns, artillery automation, simulators, tactical and training Meteor UAVs, and space equipment for platforms and payloads.

At Asian Aerospace, Galileo Avionica is showing its mission core system for Aermacchi's new M346 advanced trainer, plus FIAR's new Grifo 2000/16 lightweight multi-mode airborne radar, installed in F-16s. A Grifo S-7 radar, as installed in the Chengdu F-7, is also shown on China's CATIC stand. Over 350 Grifo radars have now been produced for a variety of light combat aircraft, also including the Dassault Mirage III, Aero L-159 and Northrop F-5.

By John Fricker