March

We started the month in Liverpool, on-board the new aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, as the carrier welcomed the public for the first time during its inaugural visit to its affiliated city. On-board, visitors were greeted by Leonardo’s Merlin Mk 2, Merlin Mk 4 and Wildcat helicopters, as well as demonstrations of our electronics capabilities such as Seaspray radar, BriteCloud, SAGE and SEER. The helicopters form part of the UK Carrier Strike Group that will protect Britain’s new class of carriers, including HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth, while our electronics protect those aircraft and keep crews and their colleagues connected via secure naval communications.

Later in the month, we looked to what lies ahead, as we joined Somerset County Council to the sign the steel at the iAero Centre Project in Yeovil. Progress is looking good as we wait to see the completed facility, which will be the hub for collaboration in research, design and innovation to support the future and growth of the UK aerospace industry.

Still with one eye on the future, we were delighted that teams of Leonardo apprentices and graduates took part in the Royal Aeronautical Society’s AeroChallenge once again, which we were proud to sponsor.

On 8 March, we celebrated International Women’s Day by recognising the achievements of women in engineering and the contribution of all our female colleagues. On the day, we featured in a Sunday Times piece about breaking down stereotypes and helping women achieve in male-dominated roles, with quotes from some of our colleagues about life at Leonardo as a female engineer. IWD fell in Women’s History Month. This was marked by hosting a discussion of gender balance across the business and how the topic is positively influencing decision-making at an operational level.

And then our world changed…across its UK sites, Leonardo prepared for lockdown as, along with everyone in the country, we steeled ourselves for the months ahead.