Leonardo DRS announces new UK-based subsidiary

On display by Leonardo DRS is their high-profile C-UAS solution, the Stryker. According to the company, the vehicle “allows soldiers to detect, identify, track and defeat Group 1-3 UAS” with both kinetic and non-kinetic technologies. (Brendon Smith / Breaking Defense)

WASHINGTON — Leonardo DRS has launched a new UK-based subsidiary known as DRS UK, which will begin locally producing tactical radios, the company announced Monday .

“The newly purpose-built production site expands DRS’s manufacturing footprint and creates a dedicated local presence to support UK defence customers, industry partners and system integrators,” the company stated in a news release, which did not lay out further details about the facility or its planned output.

The release did say the new subsidiary will help support UK requirements for counter-drone capabilities, air defense and active protection systems. It will also serve as a “strategic hub” for DRS’s tactical radio business more broadly across Europe.

“Establishing DRS UK and launching a full local tactical radar capability, strengthens our ability to support customers and partners with the proximity, responsiveness and manufacturing capacity needed to meet evolving operational requirements,” said Leonardo DRS CEO John Baylouny. “This investment enables closer collaboration with UK industry partners and integrators to deliver counter-UAS, air defence and force protection capabilities that help protect the warfighter.”

The new UK-based organization finds itself in a unique position as a European subsidiary of DRS, which itself is the American arm of the Italian defense giant Leonardo. But when asked about the European market by Breaking Defense in an interview earlier this year, Baylouny said that Europe — like the United States — is seeking to acquire needed weaponry as soon as possible and has become somewhat agnostic on which country is providing the capability.

“At the end of the day, they have technology gaps that can be filled with product solutions from the US or otherwise, and they can be licensed to give them an indigenous capability,” he said in June. “So our approach to growing in those markets is really twofold: selling products or solutions, or licensing, or a combination of the two.”

莱昂纳多DRS公司展出了其备受瞩目的反无人机系统解决方案——“斯特瑞克”。据该公司称，该车辆“使士兵能够利用动能和非动能技术探测、识别、跟踪和击落1-3类无人机”。（布伦登·史密斯/《防务新闻》）

华盛顿——莱昂纳多DRS公司周一宣布，已成立一家名为DRS UK的英国子公司，该公司将开始在当地生产战术无线电。

“新建的专用生产基地扩大了DRS的制造规模，并建立了专门的本地机构，以支持英国国防客户、行业合作伙伴和系统集成商，”该公司在一份新闻稿中表示，但该新闻稿没有详细说明该设施或其计划产量。

新闻稿指出，新成立的子公司将有助于满足英国在反无人机能力、防空和主动防护系统方面的需求。它还将作为DRS公司在欧洲范围内战术无线电业务的“战略枢纽”。

“成立DRS英国公司并启动全面的本地战术雷达能力，增强了我们为客户和合作伙伴提供所需的近距离支持、快速响应和制造能力，以满足不断变化的作战需求，”莱昂纳多DRS首席执行官约翰·贝洛尼表示。“这项投资使我们能够与英国的行业合作伙伴和集成商更紧密地合作，提供反无人机系统、防空和部队防护能力，从而更好地保护作战人员。”

这家总部位于英国的新机构处于独特的地位，它是DRS的欧洲子公司，而DRS本身又是意大利防务巨头莱昂纳多集团的美国分支机构。但今年早些时候，当《防务新闻》（Breaking Defense）就欧洲市场问题采访贝洛尼时，他表示，欧洲——和美国一样——正寻求尽快获得所需的武器装备，并且对武器装备的来源国持某种程度的中立态度。

“归根结底，他们的技术存在差距，可以通过来自美国或其他国家的产品解决方案来填补，也可以通过授权许可来获得本土化能力，”他六月份表示。“因此，我们在这些市场发展壮大的策略实际上是双管齐下：销售产品或解决方案，或者授权许可，或者两者结合。”