The UAE and the wider region have the potential to become a major hub for defence research and development (R&D) and Leonardo is strengthening its presence in the region, its senior official says.

Carlo Gualdaroni, Co-General Manager Business, Leonardo, said Italian defence and aerospace company is transforming its representative office into an industrial company to pursue joint ventures with local partners to build design and production capabilities in the Emirates.

“Our long-term ambition is to produce in the Emirates and export to markets where the UAE has strong influence,” Gualdaro told BTR during an interview.

At Dubai Airshow, EDGE Group and Leonardo announced a joint venture in the UAE next year to design, develop and produce defence systems including sensors, platforms and integration solutions for the UAE and selected export markets. The joint venture will also be involved in testing, industrialisation, and training, as well as building a skilled local workforce.

“Partnerships in the UAE are central to how we operate in the country. The region has made defence and security a strategic sector for both national interest and economic diversification, and local partners are looking for trusted companies that can combine strengths with them,” according to Gualdaroni.

“In the UAE we already have a solid presence in helicopters, naval systems and electronics, and we are working through industrial partnerships, such as our collaboration with EDGE, to expand service capabilities and support long-term growth in the country. The UAE and the wider region have the potential to become a major hub for defence R&D, and we are ready to play our part in supporting that vision,” he said.

Leonardo is an international industrial group, among the main global companies in aerospace, defence and security. With 60,000 employees worldwide, the company approaches global security through the helicopters, electronics, aeronautics, cyber and security and space sectors with significant production capabilities in Italy, the UK, Poland, and the USA.

More collaboration

Gualdaroni said Leonardo has maintained a long and fruitful presence in the UAE since the 1970s and it further strengthen presence evolving through new partnerships and more involved collaborations in the coming years.

“Our next phase in the UAE is focused on much deeper collaboration. Starting next year, we will transform our representative office into an industrial company so we can pursue joint ventures with local partners and build design and production capabilities in the Emirates,” he said.

He said a key part of this plan is recruiting young engineers, training them in Italy and integrating them into Leonardo UAE so they can help design, develop, and produce our products locally.

“The long-term ambition is to produce in the Emirates and export to markets where the UAE has strong influence,” he said.

To a question about most promising opportunities for collaboration in emerging fields such as cybersecurity, space technologies and AI, he said there is a wide scope to collaborate on multiple front.

“We see major opportunities to deepen cooperation as the UAE builds its leadership in high-tech and next-generation capabilities. Leonardo already operates across air, land, sea, space, and cyber, which positions us well to support these priorities.”

He said there is strong potential to build localised industrial capabilities and co-develop new solutions together, then market the results of these joint efforts internationally.

“This approach supports national sovereignty in premium technologies while giving both Leonardo and its partners access to export opportunities and new global markets,” he said.

Strengthening tech ecosystem

Gualdaroni said Leonardo has a broader strategy for supporting the Middle East's evolving defence and technology landscape and the UAE is very well fit into that vision for regional growth.

“Our strategy is to strengthen defence and technology ecosystems through partnerships in the region, and the UAE is a very clear example of that approach. The country already hosts a solid presence across our helicopter, naval, and electronics activities, and we are building on this with industrial collaborations, technology transfer, localisation and expanded service offerings, including MRO in the electronics sector. By combining our expertise with the strengths of regional partners, we aim to help ensure the Middle East becomes not only a customer of advanced technology but also a producer and exporter of it,” he said.

To a question about Leonardo support to talent development and knowledge transfer especially for developing a specialised STEM workforce, he said:“We see the development of a strong local workforce as essential for long-term success. Our plan includes recruiting young STEM talent in the UAE, sending them to Italy for training and integrating them into Leonardo UAE so they can contribute directly to design, development and production, as previously mentioned.

“In parallel, we intend to support skills development through universities, research centres and internship programs. The goal is to build the specialised expertise that modern defence and high-technology sectors require, with knowledge transfer and long-term sustainability at the heart of this approach.”

Regarding Leonardo participation in Dubai Airshow, Gualdaroni said the biannual global premier aviation event offers valuable opportunity to understand the UAE and the wider Middle East market.

“For anyone interested in the Middle East aviation and defence landscape, the Dubai Airshow is one of the best places to be. It gives companies direct access to partners and clients from across the UAE and the wider GCC and offers conversations you simply cannot have from a distance,” he said.

“For us, it provides an opportunity to reconnect, understand how priorities are shifting and reassess our strategies. It is one of the clearest windows into this crucial market,” Gualdaroni concluded.

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