Italy’s Elettronica is one of the most prominent companies working on the development of solutions, technologies, and systems for electronic warfare (EW). Many armies around the world have benefited from its long experience, and it has become a milestone in the world of defense and security.
To shine a spotlight on the Italian company and its fields of work and products, Al Jundi interviewed Mr. Enzo Benigni, Chairman of the Board and Managing Director of Elettronica, and had the following conversation with him:
Talk to us about Elettronica and its fields of work in general, and about the most prominent products that the company offers to its customers, and what is the extent of satisfaction and demand for them?
Elettronica was founded 70 years ago, with the mission of developing advanced technologies and effective solutions in the field of EW, addressing all domains and applications from the Self Protection of airborne and naval platforms to ground and airborne Electronic intelligence (ELINT) applications. Key in-house technologies have been developed that distinguish Elettronica solutions from the competition. along with these aspects, Elettronica has always been able to develop a high level of confidence with its Customers. Traditionally, Elettronica has been known as an Electronic Warfare (EW) house. In fact, nowadays we are much more than that! We started in the EW field seven decades ago, but the intervening years have seen us move into new areas. These include the cyber security and homeland security markets. The former is the responsibility of our CY4GATE subsidiary, the latter our Elettronica GmbH company in Germany.
Our business is not confined to ‘black boxes’. We enjoy working closely with our partners to provide them with overarching solutions to challenges they face in the electromagnetic spectrum. Do not just take our word for it. We have supplied over 3,000 systems to 30 countries on five continents.
Our products and services are trusted by navies, armies, air forces, first responders, and governments around the world. The fact that we have supplied these to our core customers for decades while winning new customers underlines their trust in our solutions.
How important is the UAE and GCC market to Elettronica?
Hugely important. We began our involvement with the UAE and GCC markets back in the 1980’s 1990s. Our commitment since then has been steadfast and unwavering. Elettronica is proud to have worked closely with our partners in the region. We have seen first-hand the complex security challenges they face. We have worked hard to ensure our solutions in the airborne, naval, and ground domains not only protect their personnel, assets, and critical national infrastructure against today’s threats but also against those they may face tomorrow. Looking at our future presence in the Gulf market, we strive to become a transnational group with fully operational and self-sufficient subsidiaries in the next three years along with a strong collaboration with the local government.
What are your most prominent projects for the next stage?
Elettronica has been very fortunate to participate in many leading defence programs during our long history. In recent times we have been an honored and trusted partner in prestigious programs like the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft, the NH-90 helicopter, and the Franco-Italian FREMM frigate program, which saw the consolidation of Elettronica Technologies, open the way to new advanced developments. Several exciting projects are on the horizon. These include our participation in the pan-European Project Tempest sixth-generation combat aircraft, and the Italian Navy’s new ‘PPA’ class patrol vessels and ‘U212’ class submarines.
New Customers and updated solutions have seen successful developments in the Marketing and technical areas.
What are your company’s plans for the future? How do you see the company changing in two years?
The electromagnetic spectrum is becoming ever-more important not only for militaries but also for the civilian world. The latter must face the reality that its use of the spectrum may be interrupted or denied by an adversary. This could have far-reaching commercial and societal implications. We invest heavily in research and development activities for both these communities. It is vital that we can leverage where possible expertise we develop for our military customers and vice versa. This is especially evident in the work we do in the cybersecurity domain. We are also very involved in emerging areas like space EW. This will become yet more important in the coming years as our world becomes more dependent on space for an array of activities. These range from communications and navigation to agriculture and environmental protection to name a few.
The world may be changing but our core business, protecting people and assets from electromagnetic threats to the best of our ability, remains the same.
How do you assess the cooperation between your company and GCC countries, particularly the United Arab Emirates?
We feel very privileged to have enjoyed a long and fruitful cooperation with the UAE and the GCC members more generally. This has been founded on a solid foundation of mutual respect and appreciation and the successful completion of challenging programs. Listening and understanding is a core philosophy at Elettronica. It informs everything we do from designing new products and services to supporting our customers over the long term. We look forward to expanding and deepening these relationships in the future.
In the last decades, Elettronica has contributed to the UAE’s technological and skills growth in the field of EW. Today this is reflected in the comprehensive understanding of complex systems by the end-user. Growth, as well as the development of technologies and capabilities, are key requirements for Emirati industries.
Elettronica strongly believes in industrial partnerships with the UAE and is ready to participate in co-development projects throughout the country. Several proposals are under discussion with major Emirati government organizations and industry groups.
What are your most recent biggest accomplishments in the defense sector?
This is an excellent question! I am very lucky to be able to reflect and see our company’s many achievements. Above all, there is one achievement that myself and the company are immensely proud of. Quite simply, our solutions, services, and expertise have kept people safe. That the work we have done has enabled sailors, soldiers, aircrew and many other people to return safely from their missions is paramount. That is the thing we are most proud of. To be more specific, we have developed and deployed advanced anti-drone ground systems, successfully addressed the submarine segment of naval EW, and implemented a serious and so far very promising approach to the Cyber EW Security domain.
What is Elettronica’s investment in the UAE and who do you primarily work with?
As I said Elettronica’s presence in the Country is large in EW due to the several programs and solutions addressed and supplied, we are now ready to follow and support the localization of activities in the UAE and GCC. Elettronica is discussing several collaborative EW projects in the UAE. This will see investments in terms of know-how and new business models.
We are also working on establishing an Emirati subsidiary, based in Abu Dhabi. Its core business will be the first provision of in-country logistical support to the UAE Armed Forces served by Elettronica systems. “Elettronica UAE”, however, will also constitute the initial phase of a more ambitious industrialization strategy for Elettronica. This will be centered on the creation of local capabilities, recruiting local talent, and partnering with the highly capable Emirati industrial sector.
Tell us about your recent experience and participation in Dubai Airshow 2021, and did it meet your expectations?
The Dubai Airshow is always a very important event for us. 2021 was no different. Obviously, it was held in unique circumstances. The global pandemic continues to provide a challenging business environment, not least as far as exhibitions are concerned. Nonetheless, the event was superbly organised, was run very professionally, and kept participants, visitors, and staff safe at all times. It is important for us to meet our partners in the region, as well as meet new friends and future collaborators. It is also a pleasure to be in beautiful Dubai and enjoy some sunshine while it can be quite cold in Europe at that time of year!
What new products is Elettronica offering the UAE and Gulf region?
We have several new solutions that we are offering to the UAE and to the region more generally. These include our ADRIAN counter-drone system. We know that illegal drone use is a serious security concern in the Gulf. ADRIAN is already in operation and we believe that it offers the solution our friends in the region need. Likewise, sophisticated air defence systems pose a threat to the region’s military aircraft. Our EDGE jamming pod is designed to protect individual platforms or groups of combat aircraft against these dangers. EDGE uses state-of-the-art technology. Not only does it jam threats, but it can also gather signals intelligence. Regarding the naval domain, Elettronica was recently awarded a contract for the supply of its state-of-the-art Integrated Radar and Communication EW Suite. The naval anti-drone platform is an evolution of the ADRIAN land-based system. It is designed specifically to protect vessels from these dangerous threats.
Would you like to send any message through Al Jundi Journal to the defense community in general, or in the UAE in particular?
Elettronica is strongly committed to helping the UAE and GCC members protect their personnel, assets, and critical national infrastructure. Our track record is a testament to this. We are ready to assist our friends and partners in the UAE and the wider region however we can. We look forward to deeper and stronger partnerships!
» Interviewed by: «Al Jundi»
