Leonardo’s growth, with its order backlog surpassing €60 billion for the first time, reflects the increasing strategic importance of the defence and aerospace industries in European security and competitiveness. The results for the first nine months of 2026, with revenues exceeding €15 billion, confirm the acceleration of the group’s expansion.
Looking ahead, the challenges range from energy security and cybersecurity to strengthening international alliances.
Why it matters: Leonardo is entering a new phase in which industrial growth must be accompanied by a stronger strategic role in Italy and Europe. Our sister magazine Airpress, specializing in aerospace affairs, discussed the group’s priorities with Leonardo Chairman Francesco Macrì.
Q: Leonardo is experiencing a period of strong growth. What challenges come with this expansion?
A: Our growth is based on an industrial vision shared across the group, with management fully aligned on our objectives. For a group of strategic importance to Italy, growth also means strengthening the national industrial system and making the most of the expertise spread across the country. In Italy, we work with approximately 4,500 suppliers, 84% of which are SMEs. This is an asset that must be supported through innovation, training and increasingly solid and resilient supply chains.
- At the same time, international partnerships are essential to strengthening Italy’s position in major industrial programmes and contributing to Europe’s technological autonomy. Our goal is to ensure that Leonardo’s international expansion translates into new opportunities for the entire national production system, generating skilled employment, investment and industrial competitiveness.
Q: You have repeatedly stressed that national security now also encompasses energy, critical infrastructure and strategic technologies. Given your experience in the energy sector and the current geopolitical context, what are the main vulnerabilities facing Italy, and how can Leonardo help address them?
A: My experience in the energy sector has taught me that security of supply is an essential condition for economic and industrial competitiveness. Italy remains exposed to import dependence and risks affecting infrastructure, networks and supply chains. These vulnerabilities are compounded by cyber and hybrid threats. We therefore need to diversify energy sources and strengthen the protection of strategic infrastructure.
- Leonardo can make a decisive contribution through its cybersecurity capabilities, advanced sensor technologies, secure communications, satellite technologies and data analysis capabilities. These tools can improve monitoring, threat prevention and the continuity of essential services.
Q: Security for the group is among the responsibilities assigned to the chairman. According to the 2026 Clusit Report, cyber incidents targeting Italy’s government, military and law enforcement sectors increased by 290% in 2025. Against the backdrop of growing cyber and hybrid threats, how can Leonardo strengthen the protection of its technological and industrial assets while contributing to the development of national and European cyber capabilities?
A: The report confirms what we have been saying for some time: cybersecurity is a matter of national security and technological sovereignty. For a group like Leonardo, protecting industrial assets means safeguarding expertise, technologies, data and operational continuity, while extending that protection across the supply chain. Responding to attacks is not enough: we must anticipate them through intelligence, continuous monitoring, artificial intelligence and specialist expertise.
- Our Global CyberSec Center in Chieti, the hub of an international network, handles approximately 184,000 security events per second and produces thousands of intelligence reports every year. These capabilities represent an asset that should be further developed through cooperation with other public and private partners, including at European level, with the aim of building a shared digital defence system.
Q: Leonardo plays a strategic role in Italy’s industrial and defence system. At a time when security and industrial policy are increasingly interconnected, how should the relationship between the group and the Italian national system evolve? What forms of cooperation between industry and institutions do you consider a priority?
A: I believe the relationship between major industrial groups and institutions must evolve towards structural cooperation based on shared strategic priorities, long-term planning and the development of national expertise. Defence is a key component of Italy’s industrial and technological policy, capable of driving a new innovation economy.
- In 2025, Leonardo invested approximately €3 billion in research, development and product engineering, involving 17,000 people and more than 120 partnerships with universities and research centres. We must strengthen this integration by connecting public investment, manufacturing capabilities, research and training, turning innovation into growth and strategic autonomy.
Q: Looking ahead, what role do you envisage for Leonardo in the European defense and aerospace industry? And how can the group, building on its leadership in Italy, drive growth and strengthen the international competitiveness of the national sector?
A: Europe must overcome industrial fragmentation and the technological gap that limit its competitiveness, developing joint programmes, greater interoperability and shared production capabilities. Leonardo can play a leading role in this process by bringing together its expertise, technologies and the international partnerships established so far.
- I am referring to our cooperation with Rheinmetall on land defence systems, the joint venture with Baykar on remotely piloted systems, the project to integrate European space activities with Airbus and Thales and, extending beyond the European continent, the development of the GCAP programme.
- Strategic autonomy does not mean isolation, but rather having the ability to compete and cooperate as leading players, while also strengthening NATO’s European pillar. Our responsibility is to make the most of Italy’s national supply chain within this process, turning European integration into an opportunity for industrial and technological growth for Italy.
