H I G H L I G H T S 9/2010 FINMECCANICA MAGAZINE “We are sure that cooperation between Rome and London can bring about significant advances for both countries in cutting-edge technology, which will be – whether directly or indirectly – applicable to security too, starting with the security of infrastructure such as ports and airports and extending it to include coastal areas, the air and the sea.” Franco Frattini Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs that cooperation between Rome and London can bring about significant advances for both countries in cutting-edge technology, which will be – whether directly or indirectly – applicable to security too, starting with the security of infrastructure such as ports and airports and extending it to include coastal areas, the air and the sea”. In this sphere, <strong>Finmeccanica</strong> will inevitably be assigned a key role, and not merely an industrial one, but also, dare it be said, on the diplomatic front. <strong>Finmeccanica</strong> is indeed ‘at home’ at every level of the United Kingdom, which its chairman and CEO Pier Francesco Guarguaglini regards as just as much a ‘domestic market’ as Italy and the USA, following Agusta’s acquisition of the historic British helicopter manufacturer Westland – and so will be able to build bridges without difficulty. <strong>Finmeccanica</strong> has six operating companies in the UK with more than 9,800 employees (13% of the Group’s workforce), bringing in 11% of its EUR 18.2 billion in revenue and with orders on the books amounting to some EUR 2 billion. Its largest companies in the country are AgustaWestland and SELEX Galileo, and it is still adding to them. AgustaWestland’s latest model, the AW169, which the company presented at Farnborough, packs sophisticated technology into an attractive design and has already been ordered by the British police. One major feature of this type of helicopter, which the company will be building over the next few years, is that it will play an important role in both the civil and government sectors, for the AW169 can be used not only for passenger transport but also by the police and on civil protection duties. The UK/Italy defence partnership, one of the cornerstones of the Foreign Ministry’s economic diplomacy strategy (as Mr Frattini has already pointed out) was sealed at Farnborough by the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the promotion of bilateral trade by AIAD and its British counterpart ADS. What the two corporate organizations are effectively seeking to do by means of this memorandum is to manage globalisation, offering each other reciprocal assistance on foreign markets and forming an alliance wherever possible in facing the challenges presented by cuts in the budgets of developed countries and by the need to establish a presence on the markets of new economic powers, and in so doing, ensure that they are not left behind in military-political terms. Aerospace, defence and security account for 20% of British manufacturing industry. The sector has a long tradition to look back on, but still today relies on a network of laboratories, universities and research centres in order to be a global front runner. In the debate sparked in recent years by the gravity of the international financial crisis, which has caused even the position of the City of London as the beating heart of the dominant industry to be called into question, what many commentators were earnestly hoping for was the strengthening of the defence and aerospace sectors, whose competitiveness requires that a great deal of energy be expended on research, and which could also have knock-on effects on other sectors. It is true to say that cutting-edge initiatives in defence apply to applications common to all, for example in civil aviation, in the same way that Formula One benefits all cars on the roads; in the space of ten years, things that once seemed the stuff of fantasy as long as they remained within the world of motor sport are now starting to be used by motorists every day. The result is that significant initial investments demonstrate their own logic. Meanwhile the cuts to the defence budgets of European countries and their NATO partners is convincing even the most sceptical of the need to make resources available to all, which has led to both the relaunch of the European common defence policy and the mechanisms for enabling systems to be acquired throughout NATO. For, both in Europe and within the Atlantic alliance, there exists the risk of hegemony, the one being dominated by France and Germany, and the other by the USA, so that the Anglo-Italian partnership is not intended to accept anything for which there is no evident need. “Let it be quite clear,” explained Mr Frattini, “that we don’t want to work against anyone, but simply to benefit someone. In terms of research, skills, products and services, Italy has a lot to offer. And British industry is the most like our own, so much so that – as <strong>Finmeccanica</strong>’s success demonstrates – working together with the UK works very well. We hope that cooperation at the institutional level will be no less successful.” The Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs went on to say that London had asked Rome for permission to allow its unmanned aircraft to undergo the necessary flight tests in Italy, as the rules in force in the UK, not least as regards air congestion, were more stringent and made such testing difficult. “The Anglo- Italian nucleus, “ concluded Mr Frattini, “may also be relevant to projects such as the Eurofighter programme, in which Germany and Spain are also involved, in which the commitment of other partners is required and increasingly welcome.” Top: the new AW169 in use by the British police. Facing page: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rome 6 7
H I G H L I G H T S 9/2010 FINMECCANICA MAGAZINE FARNBOROUGH 2010 FINMECCANICA AT FARNBOROUGH: A DISPLAY OF PRIDE WITH ITS EMPHASIS ON LIFETIME COMMITMENT, THE GROUP’S PRESENCE AT THE AIR- SHOW DEMONSTRATES TO THE WORLD THE STATURE OF A COMPANY THAT HAS BECO- ME SYNONYMOUS WITH SECURITY, INNOVATION, RESPONSIBILITY, INTEGRATION AND PRODUCT COMPLEMENTARITY ON AN INTERNATIONAL SCALE 8 9
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