FEINDEF 2025: Navantia and Leonardo sign MoU to deepen naval collaboration
Peter Felstead
Spain’s Navantia and Italy’s Leonardo are to deepen their collaboration in marketing naval solutions. An announcement to this effect was made during the FEINDEF 2025 defence exhibition, held in Madrid from 12 to 14 May, after a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed the previous week by Navantia CEO Gonzalo Mateo and Leonardo Electronics Marketing and Sales Director Davide Fazio.
Under the framework of the MoU, Navantia and Leonardo intend to explore new commercial opportunities that will complement the product catalogue of both companies. As Navantia aims at meeting evolving requirements for both national and international markets with its range of naval solutions, including submarines, frigates, corvettes and patrol vessels, Leonardo can offer a complete suite of sensors and weapon systems to address all the different platforms and missions.
Navantia and Leonardo’s collaboration dates back several decades and continues into the future, most notably regarding solutions for the Spanish Navy’s future F110 frigates, which Navantia is currently building. Leonardo systems on the new class include the Leonardo OTO 127/64 LW gun system, the fire control radar integrated into Navantia’s fire control system for the ship and the vessel’s Automatic Ammunition Handling System. Other Leonardo systems are already installed and operational on Spanish frigates and Buques de Acción Marítima (BAM) patrol vessels, which are equipped Leonardo fire control radars and the OTO 76/62 mm naval gun.
Navantia-built vessels for other nations’ navies are also equipped with Leonardo systems.
“The signing of this agreement symbolises the joint commitment of the two companies to continue co-operating to offer highly competitive and technologically advanced solutions, where response time is a key factor in customer decision making,” Leonardo stated. “In this sense, this agreement will generate flexibility and agility between both companies when making commercial and strategic decisions.”
