The American arm of Leonardo has set up a British subsidiary and opened a purpose-built plant to manufacture tactical radars in the United Kingdom, according to Leonardo DRS.
The new company, DRS UK, is intended to give the business a local presence serving British defence customers, industry partners and system integrators, with the parent describing the investment as strengthening long-term support for UK programmes and giving it more flexibility as requirements change.
The radars in question detect, track and classify airborne and ground threats, among them uncrewed aircraft and incoming rockets, artillery and mortars. They are used in counter-drone work, air defence, force protection and active protection systems fitted to armoured vehicles, and the company says more than 10,000 of its radar panels are deployed worldwide in service with the United States armed forces, NATO allies and other customers.
John Baylouny, president and chief executive of Leonardo DRS, said: “Establishing DRS UK and launching a full local tactical radar capability, strengthens our ability to support customers and partners with the proximity, responsiveness and manufacturing capacity needed to meet evolving operational requirements.”
Max Cohen, the senior vice president running the tactical radar portfolio, said: “Our investment in UK-based manufacturing for advanced sensing technologies reinforces the industrial capability, supply chain resilience and skilled workforce needed to support critical defence priorities.”
The site is intended to serve as a hub for the tactical radar business across the United Kingdom and Europe rather than solely for the British market.
We need Leonardo in the UK to manufacture their ground based Kronos radar here. The UK could then easily join EUROSAM and start making and procuring SAMP/T NG. We already build the missiles bodies for Aster via MBDA. This would be the best system for the UK currently available to counter ballistic missile threats. We could also get in on the MBDA Aquila program too to provide comprehensive coverage.