The Prometeia 2022 Study, which details the impact of Leonardo — Italy’s leading company in the AD&S (aerospace, defence, and security) sector — within the Lombardy region of Northern Italy, of which Milan is the capital, shows that the company is a hub that contributes to the regional GDP to the tune of some 2.7 billion euros. This amount, which is equal to 0.8% of the total GDP, is up 28% compared to 2018. Moreover, the study says that every euro of value added created by the company generates, on average, two additional euros within the region.

Data contained in the Prometeia 2022 Study (this relates to 2021) also shows that, on average, every 10 Leonardo employees in Lombardy support a further 33 employees for a total of 30,000 employees within the local ecosystem — a number that has grown by 30% compared to 2018.

Moreover, the data shows that more than 1,300 companies in the sector, including 80% of SMEs, ‘move’ around 900 million euros in ordered volume. The region is also where the value of Leonardo’s investments in R&D reached 382 million, equal to 9.6% of the region’s total; and the average labour productivity of Leonardo employees is 17% higher than the regional average, with the company’s supply chain representing 12% of the entire hi-tech industry in Lombardy.

In addition, Leonardo Labs in Lombardy — the technology hubs dedicated to leading edge R&D in several disciplines — are part of an ecosystem that comprises companies, institutions, and universities. As such, the collaboration that exists between the industrial world and the regional institutions is ensuring that supply chains at a local and national level receive the support essential to their ongoing development.

The Leonardo Group has six main locations in Lombardy — between Varese, Brescia, and Nerviano. These are involved in the helicopter, aircraft, electronics, and cybersecurity markets and have over 7,000 employees; and thanks to Leonardo, the Lombardy region is among the few in the world to boast of a complete aircraft capacity that includes both fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, as well as advanced skills in space.

On a broader level within Italy, Leonardo develops revenues of 9.5 billion euros, has 31,000 employees, and exports 75% of its production. In 2021, this equated to 1.4% of all Italy’s exports — and the company’s labour productivity was 50% higher than the Italian average.