Leonardo demonstrated the advanced technology and operational effectiveness of its naval systems at Formidable Shield 2021, NATO’s main air defense and anti-missile exercise.
The range of systems demonstrated included detection, tracking, communication, command and control capabilities.
The exercise saw live and simulated engagements against subsonic, supersonic and ballistic missiles in the skies.
Naval vessels, aircraft and land vehicles from 10 nations tested their information exchange and interoperability capabilities as part of a simulated coalition-level response.
A number of Leonardo technologies were on-board the Italian Navy’s Antonio Marceglia, the eighth frigate to be delivered under the FREMM (European multi-purpose frigate) programme. This included the Kronos MFRA (Multi-Function Radar Active) 3D radar that can locate, classify and track targets within a 250km radius. The Kronos MFRA was able to locate ballistic missiles in flight as they reached speeds of over 1,800m/s and accelerated at over 6G, and continued tracking the missiles over 200km.
At the trial, the frigate also made use of its MDLP-EVO (Multi Data Link Processor) communication system to exchange tactical data, while its IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) system, updated to the NATO Mode-5 standard, helped distinguish between allies and potential threats.
The brain of the ship, its Combat Management System (CMS), coordinated the frigate’s air defense and anti-missile operations, processing data from the ship’s various sensors and presenting a real-time tactical picture of the scenario to the frigate crew and other units, supporting decisions and interventions at a coalition level.
Leonardo’s weapon system, the Super Rapido naval gun with 76mm DART guided ammunition, demonstrated its ability to protect its host ship from even the most sophisticated threats.
The Aster 30 missile from MBDA, a European joint venture in which Leonardo has a 25% share, also demonstrated its ability to intercept incoming missiles.
