Leonardo announced on Thursday that it expects annual orders to reach €32 billion ($37 billion) by 2030, compared with €23.8 billion recorded last year, as part of an ambitious new industrial strategy shaped by the rapid increase in global defense spending.
The Italian state-backed aerospace and defense company also projected a 50% rise in revenue by 2030, estimating it will grow from €19.5 billion last year to €30 billion.
Speaking during a presentation in Rome, CEO Roberto Cingolani explained that the company plans to strengthen its efforts in cybersecurity and digital technologies, alongside the development of the Michelangelo Dome, a layered air-defense system expected to generate €21 billion in new business over the next decade.
Cingolani has previously noted that the company is actively working to manage rapid expansion as demand for defense capabilities increases worldwide. Since 2023, Leonardo has grown its workforce from 51,400 employees to 62,700 in 2024, and it anticipates reaching around 75,500 staff by 2030, representing an increase of roughly 24,000 employees over seven years.
The company also released projections for 2026, forecasting €25 billion in new orders and €21 billion in revenue.
Leonardo’s final results for last year showed that Defense Electronics was its largest division, generating about half of total revenue. Major contributors included electronically scanned radars for British Eurofighter jets, a new Defensive Aids Sub-System (DASS) for Italian Eurofighters, and combat management systems supplied to Indonesian naval vessels.
Additional electronics projects involved significant contributions from the firm’s U.S. subsidiary, Leonardo DRS. These included electric propulsion components for the U.S. Navy’s Columbia-class submarine, electro-optical sensors for the M2 Bradley armored vehicle, and work related to the AEGIS Combat System used on naval ships.
