Space Alliance, with Telespazio (Leonardo 67%, Thales 33%) and Thales Alenia Space (Thales 67%, Leonardo 33%), announced that it has bought a stake in NorthStar Earth and Space, a Canadian company that is planning the most the world's advanced satellite system for earth and space control. This was reported in an article by Milano Finanza.
Space Alliance will provide NorthStar with the instrumentation for the construction of a network of 40 satellites to cover the needs for information on terrestrial geography and for management in complex and dynamic areas, such as air traffic control, navigation, operations in power plants , the military command and emergency services such as fire and police. The initial value of the investments is approximately $ 52 billion, which will be disbursed by government agencies and private companies.
Leonardo is also interested in the Piaggio Aereo affair. Some rumors speak of a possible purchase by Leonardo of a 50% stake in the company today 100% owned by the Emirati king Mubadala. Last week the Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte met some officials from the United Arab Emirates to discuss a possible solution for Piaggio Aero.
From 2014 to 2016, the company accumulated 1 million euros in net losses. Piaggio has therefore put a new drone in the pipeline, the P.438HH, with the aim of selling it both to the Emirates and to the Italian Air Force for a cost of 2 million euros that the Italian government should bear. and pay over 766 years for the development and purchase of 15 aircraft and 20 ground stations. The same sum would be insured by Abu Dhabi. The Italian slowdowns in implementing the program, however, have annoyed Abu Dhabi, which would have sensitized Italian politicians and military so that Leonardo enters Piaggio as soon as possible, as the 10 employees hope for the rest.
Abu Dhabi, as already written a few days ago, is also using a rougher line, making it clear that they could block negotiations in the Emirates of important orders in the defense sector to Fincantieri and to Leonardo itself. Commercial relations with Eni in the gas and oil sector were also mentioned.
Another question perhaps thornier for Leonardo is that of the investigation into the accident of the Leicester City patron. On 27 October the helicopter in question crashed immediately after take-off killing all five people on board. At the moment, investigators have not found any particular flight anomalies. The accident was the first ever involving an AW169 model.
British investigators, writes The Independent, are, however, specifically studying the helicopter's tail rotor control system.
In a preliminary report the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) states that the helicopter did not respond to the pilot's commands and started to turn right "contrary to the pilot's left pedal control".
Investigators have yet to determine why the pilot lost control by stating that "the cause of the apparent loss of yaw control has yet to be determined." However, "the investigation of the tail rotor system is considered a priority".
The helicopter reached a height of about 430 feet before plunging it to the ground in a parking lot near the stadium and was "swiftly engulfed by an intense post-impact fire," reported the AAIB.
Following the accident, the European Aviation Safety Agency ordered security checks to be performed on the tail rotors of all AW169 helicopters and similar models.