Italy cornered most of the projects under the 2023 European Defence Fund, the European Commission’s support tool for defense research and development among regional companies. Out of the EDF’s 54 R&D projects in 2023, valued at about $1.07 billion, Italian companies won 35, with Leonardo accounting for 13 grants, according to a company statement.
With the 13 projects, Leonardo ranked second among the EDF participants. The company’s grants consist of 11 for capacity development and two for research.
Two of Leonardo’s major projects contributed to Italy’s top EDF ranking and focused on drawing strong participation from small and medium-sized enterprises. These are the European Military Integrated Space Situational Awareness and Recognition capability and the European Counter UAS, among the projects with large EDF allocations.
Leonardo is also participating in several flagship EC programs, such as prototyping a new European Patrol Corvette, developing a European ecosystem for a strategic air transport capacity, and studying and designing future armored land platforms.
Airbus, another major EDF grant winner, has been tasked with managing four R&D projects under the fund. The EDF’s 2023 participants included 581 European companies and institutions from 26 countries.