Leonardo exec floats Eurofighter as stepstone for Saudi GCAP entrance

ROME — Saudi Arabia can gain the industrial know-how it needs to participate in the GCAP fighter program by first setting up assembly lines for NH90 helicopters and Eurofighters, a senior Italian industrial official has said.

The Gulf kingdom needs to improve its aerospace skills before entering the sixth-generation jet program run by the U.K., Italy and Japan, and working on other platforms could be key, said Lorenzo Mariani, Leonardo’s co-director general.

“For a rapid but not disruptive entry of another partner [to GCAP] you need a path and that must take into account the industrial capacity of the partner,” Mariani told Defense News.

“It is not only about money but about having work,” he added.

Saudi Arabia has said it would like to join the GCAP program which is gathering pace following the creation of a UK-based tri-national government office and a U.K.-based industrial joint venture teaming BAE Systems, Leonardo and Japan’s JAIEC.

Mariani said a first development contract would be handed by the government program office to the industry team at the end of 2025 or the the start of 2026. The fighter is expected to be in service by 2035.

During a visit to Saudi Arabia last month Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, “We are in favor of the Saudis entering, but clearly this ... will not be immediate.”

During the visit, Saudi Arabia signed an memorandum of understanding with Leonardo to tighten industrial cooperation, particularly on fighter aircraft and helicopters.

Riyadh is meanwhile mulling ordering new Eurofighters to add to its fleet of 72 aircraft and could buy NH-90 helicopters.

Mariani said that if Saudi Arabia bought those platforms and actively worked on building them, it would build up know-how before potentially taking a productive role on GCAP.

“Since a process to enter GCAP is needed, and it needs time, let’s use the time to create as much activity as possible. And we propose to work on programs together, which could be the new Eurofighter and the NH90. It’s a very different approach. We used to sell, now we are saying let’s work together,” he said.

“You need to introduce intermediate work and we believe that some programs like Eurofighter can be the right entry path to GCAP,” Mariani added.

The U.K., which is leading the Eurofighter sales effort in Saudi Arabia, is being supported by Italy.

Mariani said that with new radars being added and new orders arriving, the Eurofighter was “in a process of long-term evolution,” adding, “The Eurofighter will come out of this process fundamentally transformed, and Saudia Arabia can have a role in this process.”

Asked specifically what Saudi Arabia could work on, Mariani said, “It could involve an assembly line, a production line for major units, from the radar to radio. It must be evaluated. We propose the same approach for the NH90. Airbus and Leonardo are working on how to set up part of the technical activity there. It could be final assembly, maintenance, work on parts of the structure,” he said.

“The Saudis appreciate this,” he added. Mariani did not commit to timings on deals for Riyadh to enter GCAP, but said “I hope it will be soon.”

He said the idea of involving Saudi Arabia in work on programs reflected Leonardo’s broader wish to forge partnerships in the Gulf instead of just selling products, as well as the ambition held by Gulf governments to build their industrial capabilities.

“Many of the countries have started programs to transform theireconomies. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan is the best known but it is happening in the UAE,” he said.

The most important aspect is to stop focusing too heavily on oil and gas, he said, and focus on technology.

“Defense is always one of the candidates on the table,” he said, adding that the trend made this month’s IDEX show in Abu Dhabi doubly relevant.

Mariani said Leonardo was heading to IDEX with a focus on the naval, space and cyber sectors, as well as aerospace.

“We are increasingly striking partnerships which foresee the possibility of transferring technology to local partners,” he said.

Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.

罗马——一位意大利高级工业官员表示，沙特阿拉伯可以通过首先建立NH90直升机和欧洲战斗机的装配线，获得参与GCAP战斗机项目所需的工业技术。

莱昂纳多公司联合总经理洛伦佐·马里亚尼表示，海湾王国需要在加入英国、意大利和日本主导的第六代喷气式飞机项目之前提高其航空航天技术，而参与其他平台的研发可能至关重要。

“对于另一个合作伙伴快速但不造成干扰地进入 GCAP 而言，你需要一条路径，而这条路径必须考虑到合作伙伴的工业能力，”马里亚尼告诉《防务新闻》。

“这不仅仅是钱的问题，而是关乎工作的问题，”他补充道。

沙特阿拉伯表示希望加入全球能力建设援助计划 (GCAP)。随着英国成立三国政府办公室和由英国航空航天系统公司 (BAE Systems)、莱昂纳多公司 (Leonardo) 和日本日本工业电子公司 (JAIEC) 组成的英国工业合资企业，GCAP 正在加速推进。

马里亚尼表示，政府项目办公室将于2025年底或2026年初向工业团队颁发第一份研发合同。该战斗机预计将于2035年服役。

意大利总理乔治娅·梅洛尼上个月访问沙特阿拉伯时表示：“我们赞成沙特人加入，但显然这……不会立即发生。”

访问期间，沙特阿拉伯与莱昂纳多公司签署了一份谅解备忘录，以加强工业合作，尤其是在战斗机和直升机领域。

与此同时，利雅得正在考虑订购新的欧洲战斗机，以扩充其现有的 72 架飞机机队，并且可能购买 NH-90 直升机。

马里亚尼表示，如果沙特阿拉伯收购这些平台并积极参与建设，它将在可能在GCAP中发挥积极作用之前积累专业知识。

“既然加入全球能力建设联盟（GCAP）需要经过一定的流程，而且这需要时间，那么我们就利用这段时间尽可能多地开展活动。我们提议共同推进一些项目，比如新型欧洲战斗机和NH90直升机。这是一种截然不同的方式。过去我们只是推销产品，现在我们提倡合作，”他说道。

“你需要引入过渡性工作，我们相信像欧洲战斗机这样的项目可能是进入全球能力建设行动 (GCAP) 的正确途径，”马里亚尼补充道。

英国正牵头向沙特阿拉伯推销欧洲战斗机，并得到了意大利的支持。

马里亚尼表示，随着新雷达的增加和新订单的到来，欧洲战斗机正处于“长期发展演变的过程中”，他还补充道，“欧洲战斗机将通过这一过程发生根本性的改变，而沙特阿拉伯可以在这一过程中发挥作用。”

当被问及沙特阿拉伯具体可以参与哪些项目时，马里亚尼表示：“这可能包括一条装配线，一条生产主要部件的生产线，从雷达到无线电设备。这需要评估。我们建议NH90项目也采用同样的方案。空客和莱昂纳多正在研究如何在沙特阿拉伯开展部分技术活动。这可能包括总装、维护以及部分结构部件的研发工作。”

他补充说：“沙特方面对此表示赞赏。”马里亚尼没有具体说明利雅得加入GCAP协议的时间，但他表示“我希望很快就能达成协议”。

他表示，让沙特阿拉伯参与项目工作的想法反映了莱昂纳多公司更广泛的愿望，即在海湾地区建立合作伙伴关系，而不仅仅是销售产品，同时也反映了海湾国家政府发展自身工业能力的雄心。

他说：“许多国家都已启动经济转型计划。沙特阿拉伯的‘2030愿景’计划最为人熟知，但阿联酋也在推行类似的计划。”

他表示，最重要的是停止过度关注石油和天然气，而应关注技术。

“国防始终是摆在桌面上的候选方案之一，”他说道，并补充说，这一趋势使得本月在阿布扎比举行的IDEX展会更具意义。

马里亚尼表示，莱昂纳多公司将携其在海军、太空和网络安全领域的应用，以及航空航天领域参加IDEX展会。

他说：“我们正在越来越多地建立合作伙伴关系，以期将技术转让给当地合作伙伴。”

汤姆·金顿是《防务新闻》驻意大利记者。