Leonardo-Finmeccanica, PGZ To Exchange Technological Capabilities In Defense

Leonardo-Finmeccanica and Italy’s Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa  (PGZ) have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for a long term strategic partnership in the Defence and Security market.

Under the agreement, Leonardo will support PGZ with its technology and products, and PGZ will cooperate with Leonardo on industrial and logistic support activities. The LOI establishes a significant technology transfer to PGZ with the aim of generating significant high-technology activities and job creation for the two companies in the years to come, the company said in a statement Wednesday.

In Poland, Leonardo has already made investment in the rotary wing sector following the acquisition of PZL-Swidnik.

“The Letter of Intent signed with Leonardo – Finmeccanica enables us to examine and define areas of the possible industrial cooperation in terms of the wide range of products fulfilling the Polish and the export market requirements,” said Arkadiusz Siwko, CEO of PGZ.

“We will seek to exchange know-how and technological capabilities, so we can cooperate in terms of research, development and production,” added Siwko.

“This agreement defines a new era in the industrial relationship between Italy and Poland in the Defence and Security sector,” said Mauro Moretti, CEO and General Manager of Leonardo.

The agreement identifies a wide range of industrial cooperation between both companies. PGZ and Leonardo announced their intention to begin cooperating in the fields of rotary wing platforms and services, land systems, naval systems, unmanned aircraft, fixed wing systems and services, as well as space technologies. By virtue of this agreement, Leonardo and PGZ also announced that they will examine and identify areas of possible industrial cooperation for the wide range of products meeting Polish and export market requirements.

Leonardo and PGZ will seek to exchange know-how and technological capabilities as well as identify areas in which they can collaborate in research and development, production and after sales support.

In the helicopter sector, the agreement foresees a wide scope of cooperation between Leonardo and PGZ, including collaboration to offer joint programs for the domestic and the international market. In the military trainer segment Leonardo will start to deliver the M-346 aircraft by November 2016. The agreement with PGZ includes the opportunity to extend activities to simulation and ground based training systems and logistic support for the Deblin Air Base.

Furthermore, according to the LOI, PGZ and Leonardo will evaluate the opportunities for cooperation in the “Miecznik” and “Czapla” programmes for the acquisition of new vessels for the Polish Navy.