Leonardo Opens Cyber-training Facility in UK

Leonardo today opened a training facility in Lincoln, UK to educate defence technical specialists within the Cyber and Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) domain.

An example of the type of training imparted at the Academy is to train UK MoD personnel to protect platforms against the high-tech threat radar systems that they may face in operational theatres such as Syria, a Leonardo press release said.

Air Marshal Philip Osborn, the UK’s Chief of Defence Intelligence opened the facility today where Leonardo has invested more than £2M. The new facility allows 150 students to train at any one time.

Training at the new Leonardo Academy facility will initially focus on ‘electronic warfare’. This is the term used to describe when parts of the invisible electro-magnetic spectrum, such as radio waves, are used in combat. For example, the Academy will deliver a range of domain knowledge modules that provides users with a structured course of education from overview to expert across the CEMA environment.

In addition to UK Forces, the Leonardo Academy in Lincoln is already under contract to host delegates from international allies including Brazil and South Korea. Around 70% of training delivered is expected to be to international customers, boosting Leonardo’s exports from the UK.

Leonardo is well equipped to deliver this training because it employs the UK’s most established community of experts in CEMA and is one of the main suppliers of such technology to the UK Armed Forces.

As NATO's cyber defence mission partner, Leonardo is able to offer cyber-security training at its Academy in Bristol.

Leonardo also recently announced its entry into the fighter pilot training service business via a new collaboration with the Italian Air Force to establish an “International Flight Training School” (IFTS) in Italy. The IFTS will support the training of international pilots learning to fly the latest-generation combat aircraft such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35.