2019 began with Leonardo's Falcon Shield system being deployed by the Royal Air Force (RAF) at Heathrow Airport to confirm the absence of drones.
It came just weeks after the counter-drone system had helped save Christmas for thousands of airline passengers, when it was used at Gatwick Airport, following a series of drone scares which forced the airport to close for 33 hours. Once Leonardo’s technology was introduced, the RAF launched a number of ‘friendly drone test sorties’ which were detected and reported on by the Falcon Shield system, providing assurance to the airport authorities that aircraft could safely take off and land.
On both occasions, the RAF was able to confirm the absence of drones and allow air operations to resume unhindered thanks to Falcon Shield which accurately detects, tracks, identifies, geo-locates and mitigates rogue drone threats.
The month continued with Leonardo being awarded a £293m contract by the UK MOD to provide the Apache AH Mk.1 Attack Helicopter fleet with comprehensive support and maintenance services. The contract will see Leonardo continue to provide ongoing support to the fleet until it goes out of service in 2024.
While visiting Leonardo’s helicopter facility in Yeovil, where the Apache IOS programme office is located, the-then Defence Minister Stuart Andrew said: “The Apache has provided years of crucial battlefield support to UK and coalition troops in operations in Libya and Afghanistan. This multi-million-pound contract will ensure our Armed Forces continue to benefit from this vital capability as we integrate the latest Apache model into service in 2022.”