Italian oncology focused biotech Nerviano Medical Sciences yesterday announced that it has successfully negotiated with Germany’s Merck KGaA (MRK: DE) to buy back the full world-wide rights of NMS 293 (also known as NMS-03305293) Under their 2022 agreement Merck made early payments (up-front and option exercise fees) of up to $65 million No financial terms of the buy-back were revealed Nerviano pointed out that NMS-293 is a potent highly selective PARP1 inhibitor designed to avoid trapping a known cause of toxicity in healthy cells making it ideal for combination with DNA-damaging agents like chemotherapies including in homologous recombination repair proficient tumors initial safety data across the program have shown high bone marrow tolerability1 supporting future promising clinical combinations in solid tumors TwitterLinkedin Copyright © The Pharma Letter 2025   |   Headless Content Management with Blaze a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Parma has announced a major investment in Nerviano (Milan with the construction of a new facility for the production of its therapeutic solutions The project entails the revitalization of this historical production site first established in 1965 as an oncology research centre for Farmitalia Carlo Erba and subsequently subjected to several ownership changes The facility will be primarily dedicated to manufacturing carbon minimal inhalers reinforcing the company’s commitment to both patients’ health and sustainable healthcare solutions Dry powder inhalers and sterile biological products will also be developed in Nerviano will fund the redevelopment of a 124,000-square-meter industrial area transforming it into an international center of excellence This initiative is part of the Group’s global industrial strategy which includes ongoing investments in its facilities in Parma (Italy) and Blois (France) and operations in Santana de Parnaíba (Brazil) to meet the growing needs of people living with respiratory conditions The objective is to support the company’s growth and its goal of achieving Net Zero emissions by 2035 The redevelopment will modernize the existing site turning it into a next-generation production center the site will feature over 3,000 square meters of laboratory space and a photovoltaic park with an installed capacity sufficient to ensure the plant's energy self-sufficiency a 20,000-square-meter wooded area will undergo a regeneration project Beyond its environmental and technological advancements the investment will deliver tangible benefits to the local community The site is expected to create approximately 300 new jobs by 2029 "We chose Nerviano for its strategic location and the potential of the industrial area which we will transform into a center of excellence for the production of next-generation inhalers," said Giuseppe Accogli "This investment strengthens our presence in Italy and Europe and creates new growth opportunities for the local community It also complements our significant investments in the Parma area notably our recent Biotech Center launch." Chiesi is research-oriented international biopharmaceutical group that develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in respiratory health The company’s mission is to improve people’s quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment By changing its legal status to a Benefit Corporation in Italy Chiesi’s commitment to creating shared value for society as a whole is legally binding and central to company-wide decision-making Chiesi is part of a global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact The company aims to reach Net-Zero greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions by 2035 The Group’s research and development centre in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France By: Anthony Vecchione Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved. Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishingCookie Settings Celltrion to Co-Develop Abpro’s Antibody Against Breast Cancer Massachusetts-based Abpro is developing ABP-102 as an antibody aimed at T-cell activity for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer development and marketing of the pre-clinical molecule Abpro will receive as much as $1.75 billion in sales and $10 million in milestone payments “This is a significant validation of our technology platform and also our pipeline of t-cell engagers,” Abpro co-founder and CEO Ian Chan told BioSpace The Celltrion-Abpro deal was the biggest of several recently announced collaborations Merck Invests $65M in Nerviano’s PARP1 Inhibitor Healthcare titan Merck agreed on Wednesday to a deal worth as much as $65 million in early-stage payments to Nerviano Medical Sciences Germany-based Merck and Nerviano signed a collaboration agreement with a licensing option for Nerviano’s NMS-293 The Italian company is developing NMS-293 as a cancer treatment NMS-283 is currently being tested with 150 patients in a Phase I trial for the treatment of advanced Merck has the option to take over exclusive rights to research a global leader in DNA repair with a well-established commercialization footprint is the ideal partner to maximize the value of our program,” said Nerviano CEO Hugues Dologos Takeda Sells Millennium Legacy Drug for $7M Cash Alisertib is an aurora kinase A inhibitor that Puma will reportedly develop for the treatment of metastatic estrogen receptor-positive HER2-negative breast cancer triple-negative breast cancer and small-cell lung cancer Alisertib aims to block the kinase supporting tumor cells Clinical trial results have been mixed for the molecule originally developed by Millennium before Japan-based Takeda acquired the company. A Phase III trial was shut down in 2015 after data suggested the molecule was unlikely to extend progression-free survival for lymphoma patients Germany-based Puma is optimistic alisertib has commercial potential It has agreed to pay up to $287.3 million to Takeda in royalties if the molecule receives approval alisertib has demonstrated strong evidence of antitumor activity both as a single agent and in combination with other anticancer drugs in patients with metastatic ER-positive and triple-negative breast cancer as well as in small cell lung cancer,” said Puma CEO Alan Auerbach On Tuesday, Swiss-American informatics company Sophia Genetics announced at an investors’ conference a collaboration with Boundless to develop a new method for detecting extrachromosomal DNA San Diego-area Boundless is developing therapies and diagnostics based on DNA found outside chromosomes So-called ecDNA are closed-circle and have a high amplification in cancer patients Boundless is developing a diagnostic method called ecDNA Harboring Oncogenes (ECHO) to detect ecDNA from a patient’s routine data Sophia will partner with Boundless to develop ECHO A degree in Physics and a desire to “understand the reason behind things” led Marina Gioia to keep pace with technological innovation and become Program Manager and Atomic Clocks IPT Leader at the Nerviano site It all began in the year 2000, when the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA) asked Leonardo to “build a clock based on an innovative hydrogen technology that the company had never produced before,” recalls Marina Gioia Program Manager and Integrated Project Team Leader of the Passive Hydrogen Maser (PHM) product line she works in Leonardo Electronics’ Space Equipments and Robotics unit at the Nerviano site near Milan Leonardo's PHM is an instrument that generates an ultra-stable frequency signal because it is connected to the oscillation of an electron within an atom it is considered the most accurate atomic clock in the world for operations in orbit with a margin of error of one second every three million years As Marina explains, this is an essential tool for Galileo the European Union’s global navigation satellite system designed for search and rescue and transport security missions Galileo’s satellites synchronise with the PHM thus providing more precise information on the ground; information that is then used The data generated is used by more than two billion users worldwide This rubidium-based technology will allow the atomic clock to preserve its performance Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Joins the Parker Inst NMS is a group of fully integrated companies owned by Regione Lombardia through Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica "The NMS Group is highly aligned with our existing strategy in oncology and we are extremely excited about the opportunity to integrate the existing top-class level of the research into our universal platform we will focus on expanding NMS current activities in the Chinese market but we will continue the cooperation with NMS international network of partner and customer" - said Dr who used to serve as president in two national pharmaceutical research institutes in China "The Chinese market is large and growing With our strong commercial capabilities and robust scientific reputation we look forward to bringing the innovative drugs discovered in Nerviano to the large Chinese patient population allowing them to improve their quality of life." Dr "we have a substantial understanding of the nature of discovery and R&D in pharmaceutical area We are aware of the challenges that NMS Group as an innovation-oriented company are currently facing and will face in the future We are well prepared to walk alongside with NMS Group and provide support from all aspects." The parts expect the closing in the first quarter 2018 "NMS shares Sari's mission to help people live longer We are proud of the job we made together with Sari team This acquisition will benefit all the life science business environment in Lombardia the research which is the heart of everything we do," - said Andrea Agazzi "The deal is the culmination of several years of hard work by our team of dedicated professionals We welcome the opportunity to become part of the Sari network if companies and research centers and we look forward to the continued evolution of our pipeline of molecules." Sari has been assisted by Bank of China International (China) Limited as solo financial advisor and by Studio Legale Pedersoli as legal advisor Bank of China Ltd Milan Branch offered help in the transaction NMS Group has been assisted by Leonardo&Co as financial advisor and by CMS as legal advisor mail to: chiara.lattuada@nmsgroup.it<mailto:chiara.lattuada@nmsgroup.it> SARI is an affiliate of Shanghai Advanced Research Institute SARI focuses on investment in cutting-edge bio-technology and life-science opportunities has established a specific fund together with Hicin Pharma NMS Group is the largest company in Italy committed in innovation and research and development in oncology NMS Group employs over 200 qualified researchers involved in research and development The discovery and applied research of Nerviano Medical Sciences define the innovative heart of the Group and make it an important and international reference in the field of personalized therapy In these recent years the Centre has capitalized its discoveries in international agreements with most representative pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide clinical and production services addressed to local and international markets through three different companies: Accelera one of the few companies engaged in preclinical research in Italy; Clioss engaged in clinical development starting from First-Time-In-Man and Nerpharma dealing with activities from formulation to production of the active principle An Ital­ian group has al­lied it­self with Mer­ck KGaA in an on­col­o­gy li­cens­ing deal seek­ing to get in on the mar­ket op­por­tu­ni­ty and ex­pand its … Get free access to a limited number of articles plus choose newsletters to get straight to your inbox Enter the email associated to with your Endpoints account and we'll send you a one-time login link (no password needed) and we'll send you a link to reset your password The link expires after 24 hours and can only be used once Sign up for free to read a limited number of articles each month Pick what newsletters get delivered to your inbox each week Want unlimited access? Sign up for a premium subscription plan Airbus and Lockheed Martin dedicated to those who contributed to the success of Artemis 1 Airbus and Lockheed Martin is delivering in person to the various companies that worked on the Artemis 1 mission the appreciation of the leading partners in the new space adventure that will return human beings to the Moon In recognition of the professionalism displayed by everyone involved in the project awards were presented to the 80 Leonardo employees from the Nerviano (Milan) plant who contributed to the mission’s success The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed the programme in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) to return us to our satellite, this time for good. But also to look beyond, towards Mars. The mission blasted off on 16 November 2022 from the Kennedy Space Center using the new launch system (SLS) sending the Orion spacecraft on its journey Orion performed a 25-day mission that involved two close flyovers of the Moon passing just 130 km above the lunar surface trying out all its systems and verifying their reliability ahead of a manned flight splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on 11 December the delegation visited the Nerviano site’s technical areas and saw the birthplace of the technologies that contributed to the mission’s success Work at photovoltaic panels at Leonardo Nerviano site Italy played a significant role in Artemis I through the contribution of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) It will be a leading player in its development and in the international drive towards a permanent human presence on the Moon and the upcoming journey to Mars Leonardo and the joint ventures Thales Alenia Space (Thales 67% Leonardo 33%) and Telespazio (Leonardo 67% Thales 33%) provide a range of distinctive skills in the fields of infrastructure JSESSIONID - 09DA0541C632AF21F39AF23C4139D043.lcsgepalsv050 BIGipServerPool-nuovo-sito-prod - 1426723082.20480.0000 f5avraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa_session_ - KOMLIHLMGGDODDMAINLKDAKFDGBCOGMHFKFHBBIIFCNJJPCBMJKJIGLMMANHKNEMHJNDNMFDDCIOGKPJLGMAJDDNMFBOJJOBILIJNACCCPLLONAEGJAOPMLMMIDGGHEH Italian biopharma Chiesi Group has announced a major investment in Nerviano with the building of a new facility for the production of its therapeutic solutions The project entails the revitalization of a historical production site first established in 1965 as an oncology research center for Farmitalia Carlo Erba and subsequently subjected to several ownership changes This facility will be primarily dedicated to manufacturing Chiesi’s carbon minimal inhalers though dry powder inhalers and sterile biological products will also be developed at the site Trovagene’s PCM-075 therapy for several blood cancers and solid tumors The results of the trail conducted by Nerviano Medical Sciences will be submitted for publication soon PCM-075 inhibits the polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) protein which contributes to the development of certain types of cancer The trial (NCT01014429) assessed the safety of PCM-075 in 21 patients whose mean age was 62.7 years old The group had advanced or metastatic solid tumors Patients received increasing doses of PCM-075 once a day for five consecutive days Treatment was administered until patients’ disease progressed or they experienced unacceptable toxicity Researchers then investigated several safety parameters such as the body’s ability to absorb the drug The team also investigated PCM-075’s pharmacokinetics as well as its anticancer activity and its ability to target PLK1 in tissue biopsies The most common side effects were thrombocytopenia or an abnormally low number of blood platelets a blood disorder characterized by an abnormally low number of neutrophils The side effects were consistent with the drug’s mechanism of action “Hematologic [blood-related] side effects are expected with PLK inhibitors, which induce [cell division] arrest preferentially in rapidly proliferating blood cells, leading to cell death,” Mark Erlander, Trovagene’s chief scientific officer, said in a news release “This suggests anti-tumor activity in hematologic malignancies and supports our plans to develop PCM-075 for the treatment of [acute myeloid leukemia] “We believe the Phase 1 data indicates broad applications for PCM-075 in hematologic malignancies and solid tumors and we plan to continue to assess additional precision cancer therapeutic opportunities going forward,” he added Colon cancer tumors develop in the inner wall of the colon The most common type of colon cancer is colorectal cancer There will be more than 95,500 new cases of colon cancer in the United States in 2017, according to the American Cancer Society You must be logged in to post a comment Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering The European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA) selected Leonardo’s hydrogen atomic clocks for Galileo Second Generation The Company has signed a contract with ESA for the direct supply of the PHM (Passive Hydrogen Maser) for the new 12 satellites Leonardo’s PHM is a highly accurate atomic clock made for space applications: it accumulates an error of one second every three million years and is a crucial contributor to Galileo’s ground accuracy of about 30 cm Further to the development of more than 70 clocks for the first generation of Galileo Leonardo will provide two masers for each new satellite The first twelve units will be delivered in 2023 The Company will also make available its skills for in orbit support: a highly qualified team will be able to provide assistance and advice to the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) For the construction of the new atomic clocks in the Nerviano plant (Milan) Leonardo will increase the production capacity of the area dedicated to their development: it will expand the space with two shielded areas and one dedicated to the testing and integration of electronic boards to guarantee the production of two clocks every six weeks is an Italian multinational company headquartered in Rome The company is partially owned by the Italian government Lunar Node-1: Demonstrating Iridium STL: Protecting PNT Space Forces Presses on Copyright © Inside GNSS Media & Research LLC. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy Cosimo Caiffa is a talented Italian graffiti artist who uses spray cans to create some of the most fascinating street art illusions you’ve ever seen paints most of his impressive artworks in his hometown of Nerviano Most of his street art projects not only integrate perfectly with their surroundings but they also have this uncanny depth to them that often fools passers-by Having grown up around art and artists in Gallipoli Cosimo started painting on canvas at a very young age he knew that was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life He taught himself the 3D street art technique and he has been using it for years to great effect to turn bland boring urban spaces into outdoor works of art “The idea was born from the desire to get out of the box, and in all my designs I try to send messages of unease, the joy of life and what surrounds me,” Caiffa said about his art Graffiti artists often operate outside the law or at least on the edge of legality, but Cosimo Caiffa is apparently one of the few who always ask permission from the municipality to unleash his artistic talent on public property Cosimo usually starts by digitally creating the image he wants to paint and then using graffiti cans to paint it on the surface of his choice Some of his art pieces are so realistic that their protagonists appear to be coming out of the wall Cheone is just one of the many talented graffiti artists we have featured on Oddity Central over the years Finmeccanica - Selex ES will provide new equipment to SAAB which will equip the new Gripen E for the Swedish Air Force with 60 Skyward G-IRST (infra-red search and track) infrared search and track systems made in the Selex ES plant of Nerviano (Milan) The Skyward-G IRST is a long-range electro-optical sensor It is a passive system that does not emit any signals of its own when in use It detects the heat signatures of other airborne systems but cannot be detected in return With the IRST a Gripen can detect and track enemy targets The system also has a significant ‘counter-stealth’ capability and when used alone or in conjunction with Gripen’s other sensors it can produce high-fidelity tracking information against complex targets over long ranges Delivering 30% of the aircraft’s electronics, Selex ES is a major participant in the Gripen E program: in addition to Skyward-G, the company also provides the fighter aircraft with its radar and Mode 5 Identification Friend/Foe (IFF) systems. In July, the company signed a production contract for the Raven ES-05 AESA (active electronically scanned array) radar at the end of  2013 Saab has selected the new radio frequency jamming device BriteCloud as an electronic warfare enhancement option on all Gripen E aircraft And always the first fighter to offer to their customers this innovative system The use of the new device has recently been tested as part of a campaign of flights in Sweden that have confirmed the operation effectiveness and safety during the three flights and the three releases carried out by a standard countermeasures dispenser installed on Gripen BriteCloud is a self-contained digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) jammer that is designed to protect fighter jets from complex threats such as RF-guided missiles and fire-control radars After manual or automatic ejection from a standard chaff and flare dispenser BriteCloud detects RF emissions and cross-references them against its pre-programmed threat library the decoy applies advanced algorithms and emits a deception signal to defeat the threat radar and incoming missile so that the aircraft is able to carry on safely and concentrate on its mission Dual Specificity Protein Kinase TTK Inhibitor Market All 5 Releases The Military & Aerospace Electronics take: 11 March 2019 -- While it has a rather unassuming appearance this aperture forms an important role in the fighter’s detection and fire control functionality acting like a powerful thermal camera to spot distant enemy targets and using that data to neutralize the threat The beauty of infrared search and track technology (IRST) technology is it is completely passive and does not highlight the location of the aircraft unlike when a pilot decides to use the on-board radar which can give away its position as radio frequency energy bursts out IRST can also work in all weather conditions as it uses the infrared rather than the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum So important is this stealthy capability particularly as China and Russia develop their own stealth aircraft with advanced detection capabilities that the US is retrofitting many of its advanced fighter aircraft – including the navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the air force’s F-15 Eagle – with an IRST capability It is hoped that with these new “eyes” Western fighter jets will be able to sense adversary aircraft first and kill them before being seen themselves Related: Boeing and Lockheed Martin to build stealthy infrared search and track (IRST) avionics for F-15C jet fighter Related: Boeing and Lockheed Martin to build infrared search and track systems for F/A-18E/F combat aircraft Related: How Russia or China could use counter-stealth IRST to shoot down America's stealth fighters John Keller chief editorMilitary & Aerospace Electronics Search the Military & Aerospace Electronics Buyer's Guide for companies A major supplier of electronic and mechanical radar defence systems for leading aircraft programmes including the Eurofighter Typhoon and Gripen E Leonardo is developing a new lightweight compact range of radar systems designed for smaller and unmanned civil and military aircraft platforms BILL READ FRAeS reports from Edinburgh and Milan One of the leading companies in the international aerospace Leonardo sells products and services to around 150 countries around the world Leonardo supplies key equipment to a number of major international space the group reorganised in 2016 from a number of individual companies (including such well-known names as AgustaWestland This is now comprised of five divisions specialising in helicopters the company reported annual revenues of Euro 11,527m a total of 11,595 new orders and a backlog of 33,578 orders The group had 45,134 employees and spent Euro 1,539m on R&D Leonardo also has interests in a number of subsidiaries and joint ventures including DRS Technologies (100% Leonardo) Thales Alenia Space (67% Thales and 33% Leonardo) 37.5% Airbus Group and 25% Leonardo) and ATR (50% Leonardo and 50% Airbus Group) develops and produces a wide range of products and solutions for aircraft platforms Among these products are the Raven ES AESA radar Skyward-G IRST (infrared search & track) passive sensor and IFF (identification friend-or-foe) system for the Gripen E the PIRATE long wave infrared sensor and Captor-M mechanically scanned radar for the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Vixen 1000E AESA radar designed for fighter/interceptor aircraft Leonardo also has also developed a compact version of the Vixen radar called Vixen 500E designed for fighters Leonardo also specialises in ISTAR (intelligence target acquisition and reconnaissance) systems designed to provide tactical situational awareness for both manned and unmanned platforms Radar technology is currently in a state of flux as traditional mechanical scan radars are being superceded by new electronically scanned systems “A traditional radar features a big high-power antennae with a bunch of black boxes and wave guides,” explained Stan Hargreaves Operational Capability Manager ISR radar at Leonardo Edinburgh “It needs lots of power to operate and is generally complex to install onto an aircraft It has the drawback that it has a single point of failure – when they were fitted into Sea King helicopters there was a risk of people treading on the wave guides Such radars used to be fitted into large fixed wing aircraft to detects traditional military threats which were usually big targets recent years have seen the development of active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars which use a matrix of hundreds of tiny radar modules to ‘steer’ a beam of radio waves in different directions instead of physically moving the radar antenna to point at a target the beam can be moved about extremely quickly allowing the radar to perform multiple tasks simultaneously such as conducting maritime surveillance at the same time as monitoring weather along an aircraft’s flight path “Another advantage of an AESA radar is that it can be used to detect smaller moving targets,” added Hargreaves  A number of platforms are now moving from M-Scan to the new E-Scan technology including the Merlin helicopter and the Eurofighter Typhoon AEROSPACE recently visited two of Leonardo’s plants in Edinburgh in Scotland and Nerviano near Milan in Italy which specialise in the development and production of both M-Scan and E-Scan airborne radars Among the products made at these plants are radar and sensors for surveillance and combat applications as well as the Grifo and Gabbiano radar family Leonardo’s Edinburgh plant specialises in radar electro-optic targeting and next generation AESA radar The programmes being worked on in Edinburgh include fire control radar ground-based and airborne lasers and artillery pointing The plant has around 1,800 employees - 70% of whom are engineers and specialists – who work in two buildings devoted to design and manufacturing Among the AESA products made in Edinburgh are the Seaspray and Osprey radars Comprising two primary air-cooled line replaceable units (LRU) Seaspray uses composite mechanical and electronic scanning to cover air-to-surface “The advantage of Seaspray AESA radar is that it gets rid of lots of other equipment and allows us to put it onto platforms very quickly and efficiently,” said Brendan Nolan Vice President Sales - Radar & Advanced Targeting “The equipment needed for our Seaspray AESA radar can be summarised as two black boxes With multiple transmit receive modules (TRMs) there is no longer the risk of one failure incapacitating the whole system You can think of it like multiple LED lights in your kitchen - if one goes out The Seaspray range currently includes the Seaspray 5000E The Royal Navy was the launch customer for the Seaspray 7000E for use in the AW159 Lynx Wildcat while the US Coastguard was the first to order the Seaspray 7500E for use on Patroller UAVs Leonardo has since sold AESA surveillance radars to 30 countries A new addition to Leonard’s expanding AESA portfolio is the Osprey E-Scan lightweight airborne surveillance phased array radar Leonardo claims that the Osprey is the only one of its type currently available which can offer full ‘spherical coverage’ with no moving parts weight and power (SWaP) radar system incorporates elements from Leonardo’s maritime Seaspray overland PicoStar and air-to-air Vixen radars Over 40 Ospreys have been ordered by eight different customer and it is now in use on platforms ranging from the US Navy’s MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter to Leonardo’s AW101 search and rescue helicopters operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force for which Leonardo says it has already received two orders Seapray and Osprey AESA radars can detect small and fast-moving targets at long range and over a wide area They can be used at sea in both good and bad weather conditions icebergs and air-to-air targets as well as being used for ground mapping The radar systems can also utilise long range inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) to generate a two-dimensional high-resolution image of a target “Using ISAR can greatly aid classification and ID,” said Nolan “To track targets at sea used to involve flying a surveillance aircraft at 10,000ft for up to four hours With the new radar technology we can now automatically detect targets and identify what they are we could identify a target at a range of 54nm travelling at 11kt in a Force 7 wind We can command the radar to ‘stop and stare’ and get an image showing the outline of the ship If the ship is using an automatic identification system (AIS) we can look through cloud and all this can be achieved using a basic radar 20in long.”  Another advantage of AESA radar is their ability to detect small targets – a great advantage in air-sea rescue missions “Detecting a small target in high sea states is tough,” said Nolan “A traditional mechanical scan radar finds it hard to find an individual in water – you either have to fly low or spin the radar faster to eliminate clutter to try to see into wave Seaspray/Osprey radars can get multiple hits electronically – the  equivalent of operating a mechanical radar at 5,000rpm.” He also gave an example of how the radar can detect a moving or stationary submarine attack periscope even if it had only broken the surface for 15-20secs AESA radars can also be used for ground surveillance missions “A radar can take pictures as good as a camera from an aircraft flying at 10,000ft above cloud,” said Nolan He gave an example of how an AESA radar had been able to identify the position of a golfer’s aircraft on the ground and identify it as a King Air 350ER the RAeS awarded a Team Bronze Medal to the Osprey 30 AESA radar team Awarded annually for ‘notable contributions to aerospace art the RAeS medal recognised the innovative design of the Osprey 30 with its electronic beam steering antennas and multi-channel receiver offering a step change in capability and operational flexibility compared with radars using conventional mechanically scanned antennas Leonardo Edinburgh also specialises in directed infra-red counter measures (DIRCM) which can detect and defeat man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS) “While MANPADS can be countered using flare-based counter measures a DIRCM system is a much more effective counter measure,” explained Nolan a DIRCM operates by locating and tracking the incoming MANPADS and then shining a high-powered laser onto its targeting sensors to direct the missile away from the aircraft Leonardo said that its DIRCM system could defeat a MANPAD in under 2.5 seconds Leonardo is a world leader in laser systems having delivered over 4,000 lasers to be included in such systems as the F-35 Electro-Optical Targeting System Northrop Grumman Litening Targeting Pod and Apache Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight (M-TADS) “We produce 50 lasers a month in Edinburgh and have now delivered over 2,400 DIRCM pointer/trackers deployed on over 50 aircraft types,” said Nolan “We are continuing to partner with Northrop Grumman on the next generation of DIRCM for the US Army-led Tri Service Common Infra-Red Counter Measure (CIRCM) programme Leonardo Edinburgh is equipped with a specialist DIRCM System Integration Laboratory This consists of a platform motion simulator to model the aircraft and the position of its DIRCM systems 20 metres apart from a target motion simulator which simulates the MANPADS missile and tracks where the laser is pointing Over the past nine years Leonardo Edinburgh has been working on a new company-funded project called Miysis to develop a ‘readily exportable’ compact lightweight DIRCM system which can protecting rotary turbo-prop fixed wing and jet transport platforms against MANPADS Miysis is intended to provide ‘spherical operation’ to detect threats from all sides The Miysis DIRCM system is now in production and orders have been placed by the Royal Canadian Air Force to upgrade its fleet of Lockheed Martin CP-140 Aurora aircraft and by an unidentified Middle East customer defence manufacturer Hensoldt has integrated Miysis into its Airborne Missile Protection System (AMPS) In 2018 Leonardo’s Miysis DIRCM participated in a UK MoD sponsored MANPADS missile live-fire activity led by Dstl The trials consisted of MANPADS missile live-fire launches with and without jamming While the full results of the trials are classified Leonardo reported that the system being tested (consisting of a DAS controller Mysis DIRCM system and a  Thales UK Elix-IR threat warning system) performed ‘as expected’ by Dstl The Miysis DIRCM time to jamming was ‘exceptionally quick’ and swiftly tracked (dry shots) and jammed (wet shots) every threat declared by the missile warning system The Miysis DIRCM system was effective at both short and long ranges and was able to defeat two MANPADS missiles fired from the same point with a single laser pointer tracker another Leonardo plant specialising in radars is Leonardo Nerviano located outside Milan One of a number of Leonardo plants located in Italy Leonardo Nerviano employs 900 workers producing electronic boards Nerviano specialises in surveillance and fire control radars as well as Leonardo’s infra-red search and track (IRST) business Products made in Nerviano include the Gabbiano family of surveillance radars the Captor and GRIFO fire control radars and the Skywards and PIRATE IRSTs light-weight and easy-to-install radar system Gabbiano can offer long and short range surveillance capability for civilian and military forces for such missions as border security search and rescue and special forces support Gabbiano is produced in two basic configurations (T20 and T200 Power) with nose-mounted or belly-mounted antenna providing respectively a ±90° and 360º surveillance Different size antennas can be produced tailored to specific applications Based on MRP (modular radar processor) technology Gabbiano can be easily upgraded with additional software updates with no need for hardware retrofit Leonardo says that Gabbiano has been ordered by 12 customers for a range of helicopters Advances in technology have enabled Leonardo to develop an UltraLight version of the Gabbiano which fits the receiver transmitter and processor into a single box and weighs less than 24kg Launched at the Paris Air Show in 2017 fitted to a Leonardo Hero lightweight UAV the Gabbiano TS UltraLight is particularly designed for small platforms which were not previously fitted with radars Currently in service onboard the FALCO EVO fixed wing UAV for maritime patrol missions in the Mediterranean area installation feasibility for the Gabbiano UltraLight has also been validated on a number of unmanned platforms including the UMS Skeldar V-200 rotary wing UAV Schiebel Camcopter S-100 rotary wing UAV and the Hermes 90 fixed wing UAV A Gabbiano UltraLight fitted to a LIAZ Skyspotter small rotary wing UAV was showcased at the Prague Future Forces Forum in October 2018 Another product produced in Nerviano is the Grifo multi-mode-multi-role fire-control radar for combat jet (which includes parts made in Edinburgh) different versions of Grifo are currently fitted to 450 aircraft flying with six air forces Czech Air Force L159s and South Korean HH-60 helicopters Leonardo is currently working on the development of new versions of Grifo – the Grifo-E AESA radar based on flexible E-Scan architecture designed to be compatible with various platforms and the Grifo EVO ultra-compact version for special applications Launched at the Farnborough Air Show in 2018 the fourth generation Grifo-E is comprised of three units - a REP (receiver exciter processor) AESA (with optional liquid cooling unit if aircraft is not fitted with one) and a PPS (primary power supply) Development work on the antenna is mainly being carried out in the UK (with Edinburgh responsible for manufacturing) The aim is to have the first Grifo-E antennae ready by mid 2019 and the receiver and processor unit ready for flight tests by the end of the year first on a rotary wing platform and then on a fixed wing aircraft “We hope by then to have a launch customer who will provide their own requirements for modes and timing,” said Federico Scannapieco - SVP Radar and Advanced Targeting (Italy) Another popular Leonardo product is the Skyward family of  IRST (infra red search and track) sensors IRST can perform automatic search detection acquisition and tracking of multiple aerial and ground targets The Skyward-F is fitted in Northrop Grumman pods to US Air Force F-15s and F-16s Leonardo Nerviano also produces the Skyward-G embedded long wave IRST for aircraft the optical elements of which are made in Florence Skyward-G is fitted to the Gripen NG test aircraft and will be installed in the new Gripen E fighter In the development phase is Skyward-K for a yet to be identified Asian fighter There is also a Skyward AB version designed for unmanned platforms the first two units of which will be delivered in  2019 Over 150 Leonardo IRSTs are currently on order Another project Leonardo Nerviano is working on is MAIR - a multiple distributed camera system capable of automatically detect and track air vehicles and missiles MAIR consists of up to ten infrared sensors which can cover full sphere all around aircraft Information from these is then displayed on a head-up display (HUD) to provide day/night spherical imaging to enhance situational awareness and used as a navigation/landing aid we do not have a customer yet,” explained Scannapieco we will be testing the system on a Leonardo helicopter this year followed by trials using a small two-seater fixed wing aircraft.” Leonard also produces IRST for naval threats The Italian Navy aircraft carrier Cavour is fitted with a SASS (silent acquisition surveillance system) dual band IR bi-spectral mid and long wavelength IRST designed to detect different categories of anti-ship threats (including fighters SASS is also installed on Italian FREMM (Future European Multi Role Frigates) and is also being produced for foreign customers Leonardo is also developing Seaward – a system of multiple IRST sensors for maritime applications which is currently undergoing ground tests and which will be tested on a ship in 2019 While Edinburgh specialises in E-scan radar for high level fighters Nerviano plans to concentrate on light fighter versions both for new aircraft and retrofits we divide the market depending on size and applications “There is a huge appetite for sensors,” said Scannapieco “We anticipate that around 40% of our sales will be for new platforms and 60% on retrofits This is a market where M-Scan still has a future and has possibilities where E-Scan is not affordable.” One particular market that Leonardo is looking at are private companies which use ex military aircraft for live defence training exercises such as ATAC or Draken which provide aircraft to act as opponents in US military training “There is a demand for new technology from companies using old platforms for tactical training exercises,” said Scannapieco because these training providers use older aircraft they are more likely to want to equip them with M-Scan rather than E-Scan radars because they are not worth the larger investment involved which could have potential for E-Scan upgrades.” Is the UK still a 'Tier 1' military power A report by the RAeS AIR POWER GROUP COMMITTEE on the conference: ‘The Future of UK Air Power – The Maritime Dimension’ the UK has revealed its goal to stay in the manned fighter business Academic Lead for Policy Engagement - Cranfield Defence & Security and member of the MoD Independent Scientific & Technical Advice (ISTA) register,.. KKHALEM CHAPMAN takes an international look at the evolution of modern AEW platforms Infrared search and track technology promises to enhance sensor suites for next-generation fighter aircraft especially when it comes to spotting stealth aircraft without using radar Grant Turnbull visited European defence manufacturer Leonardo in Nerviano Look on the nose of many modern fighter jets such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and you’ll spot a large bulbous protrusion coming from just near the cockpit While it has a rather unassuming appearance acting like a powerful thermal camera to spot distant enemy targets and using that data to neutralise the threat The beauty of infrared search and track technology (IRST) technology It is completely passive and does not highlight the location of the aircraft which can give away its position as radiofrequency energy bursts out that the US is retrofitting many of its advanced fighter aircraft – including the navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the air force’s F-15 Eagle – with an IRST capability Europe’s premier fighter aircraft, the Eurofighter Typhoon was designed with an IRST capability from its inception in the 1980s owing to its original role as an air superiority platform with predominantly air-to-air sensors and weaponry This IRST is known as PIRATE – or Passive InfraRed Airborne Track Equipment – developed through a Leonardo-led “Eurofirst” consortium along with Thales UK and Tecnobit of Spain which was competitively awarded a contract in 1992 vice president of IRST programmes at Leonardo’s Nerviano site in Italy said having an IRST sensor is like being in a dark room with your enemy You are able to see your enemy because of the temperature emitted by them but they would have to shine a light (analogous to turning on a radar) to be able to see your position “You are at an advantage…you can be completely silent,” he added The long-wave infrared (LWIR) PIRATE system gives Typhoon pilots an automatic capability to search effectively giving crews a secondary radar to supplement the nose-mounted Captor radar Balzarotti noted that even after 25 years after the initial contract in 1992 the PIRATE IRST is still in production for new Typhoon aircraft rolling off the production line It has seen incremental improvements including more powerful hardware and improved algorithms Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis Leonardo developed its own IRST solution for the advanced nEUROn unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) built by French aerospace manufacturer Dassault This unique configuration employed a medium-wave infrared (MWIR) sensor in an air-to-ground application rather than the traditional air-to-air role An additional function was automatic target recognition performed by cross-checking the UCAV’s real-time imagery with a database of ground targets This growing experience and expertise saw Leonardo win a contract to supply its new Skyward IRST technologies for Saab’s newest fighter aircraft, the Gripen E The company is now in the series production phase for the Skyward-G contract and will supply over 60 units for the Swedish Air Force’s Gripen E fleet He added that there is one other Skyward-G customer which cannot be disclosed but as the only other customer for the Gripen E is Brazil it is likely to be the Brazilian Air Force and will eventually form part of a new regional fighter programme Balzarotti did not disclose the customer or the programme due to commercial sensitivities but said Leonardo would supply 20 units over the next two years This is believed to be part of a wider technology transfer agreement with the domestic company In another sign of the growing appetite for IRST on next-generation platforms Balzarotti also revealed that Leonardo had been awarded a contract from a Far East customer this year to supply a new Skyward sensor variant known as the Skyward-AB This will be integrated onto a tactical UAV which “is not the first time we have tested on an unmanned aircraft but it is the most important one,” he noted It is believed that the tactical UAV is still in its development phase and will be ready next year with the IRST sensors also being delivered next year for use in an air-to-air detection and tracking role This the first time an IRST sensor has been used on a UAV in an air-to-air role – the past example of nEUROn was exclusively air-to-ground – although no further details are known at this point owing to its confidential nature Leonardo also unveiled details of a new distributed IRST system in development known as the Multi-Aperture Infrared (MAIR) system This differs from past systems in that it uses multiple IR cameras around a platform to aid detection and tracking of targets and threats rather than just a single aperture as on traditional systems “If we are able to have a single head sensor we can have more than one head to perform full coverage of the scene,” explained Balzarotti MAIR has been company funded and will be tested on a helicopter next year Leonardo is also exploring additional functions including interfacing with countermeasures – to detect incoming rockets or missiles and dispense flares or cue laser jamming – as well as a pilot aid to increase situational awareness by projecting imagery of their surroundings onto a helmet-mounted holographic display Expect to see more activity in the IRST space in the future especially as companies such as Leonardo progressively improve the technology and it is fielded on more platforms The combination of both thermal and radar detection technologies along with more effective image processing will give aircraft far greater sensing capabilities to address emerging threats in the airborne space Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Leonardo’s Electronics division is developing a new-generation infrared situational awareness and attack warning system called MAIR (multi-aperture infrared) consisting of a multiple distributed camera system operating in the IR spectrum able to automatically detect and track air vehicle and missiles and to provide day/night spherical imaging for situational awareness Based on its experience developed in the infra-red search and tracking (IRST) sector with both PIRATE system and latest generation Skyward family applied to both combat aircraft and unmanned air system ‘Leonardo has developed a distributed suite of sensor heads in the IR spectrum with a dual main mission: provide not only multiple simultaneous missile launch warning but also the required accuracy for directional countermeasures (DIRCM) engagement in addition to hostile gun fire indication as well as day/night situational awareness in degraded weather or operational conditions” confirmed Leonardo’s VP IRST Programmes Giorgio Balzarotti to EDR during a phone interview after a recent press tour focusing on airborne radar and IRST products at the company’s Nerviano-based facility near Milan The Leonardo representative hasn’t provided information on the single or dual colour imaging and IR-operating sub-band of the system but acknowledged the company has conducted an extensive campaign with own hyperspectral system against a range of targets to better determinate the most effective operating-band According to company’s development and testing roadmap ‘the prototype of MAIR is expected to complete ground trials within 2018 in preparation for flying on test bed platforms in early 2019 The latter include a two-seats Aspect general aviation aircraft and a commercial helicopter respectively equipped with two small conformal pods one on top and the other underneath the general aviation aircraft which prototype was seen during the Nerviano’s facilities tour ‘The final MAIR suite for rotary-wing applications is expected to include up to 5-6 heads depending on spherical coverage requirements each weighting about 2.5 kg with one operating as master/interfacing unit with on-board mission system In the latter case a control unit is added Each sensor heads will also include a laser warning aperture capability Leonardo representative said to EDR during the phone interview the MAIR has been conceived and developed for both transport and combat aircraft in the latter case exploiting all the processing experience developed with fast-jet IRST ‘Italian MoD has expressed strong interest in the system since its inception the MAIR is being developed with company funding’ Leonardo did not comment on any specific platforms it is targeting but it is understood that the company has taken into account the expected needs of the Italian Armed Forces as well as export users Platforms such as the Italian New Exploration and Escort Helicopter (NESS) could be candidates for the system it would appear that the sensor heads would be also suitable for retrofit onto platforms with current-generation missile warning systems Indo Defence – Jakarta – 11-14 June DSEI – London – 9-12 September PARTNER – Belgrade – 23-26 September Seafuture – La Spezia – 29 Sept.-2 October ADEX – Seoul – 29 October-2 November Dubai Air Show – Dubai – 17-21 November Milipol Paris – Paris – 18-21 Novenber Expodefensa – Bogotá – 1-3 December Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Subscribe and save up to 29% on a magazine subscription The image of a dark-haired Italian girl kneeling to put flowers in a jam jar at her baby daughter’s grave will stay with Liz Lawrence until her dying day While this beautiful gesture was made by someone Liz didn’t even know it led to a solemn vow that has now been honoured for 40 years – and forged a bond between two families living 18,000km apart something beautiful happened,” says Liz Her poignant story of heartache and happiness began in Nerviano Liz was holidaying in the picturesque town for three months with her then-husband “I had a premonition something bad would happen in Italy,” recalls Liz little Susanna came down with a fatal bout of gastroenteritis “When the doctors came to tell me my baby was dead My heart ached – I can still recall the feeling,” Liz says Liz was buried in Nerviano’s graveyard with a lock of her mother’s hair and her bunny soft toy from back home in New Zealand Liz visited her daughter’s grave every day knowing she would soon have to return to Kiwi shores “Leaving Susanna was unthinkable – it was like leaving a part of me buried in Nerviano,” she says “But I had Davide to think about and a life I had to try to rebuild back in New Zealand.” Liz married her Italian husband Mimmo at 18 Liz came upon a young girl carefully placing lily of the valley flowers at her daughter’s grave The girl – an 11-year-old local named Nadia – told Liz that in spring children from the village put wildflowers on the graves of dead children ‘I am going back to New Zealand and I don’t know if I will ever come back give her a kiss and maybe flowers?’” The young girl solemnly promised Liz she would and the grieving Kiwi mum thought that would be the last of the matter Ben and Sam) received a letter from Nadia in the post the girl who made the promise at your daughter’s grave I have just been married and have taken Susanna my wedding bouquet because she will never have her own.” Touched by Nadia’s “incredible loyalty” Liz wrote back and the pair formed a very special friendship with Nadia even naming her own baby daughter Susanna her second husband Bevan and their sons visited Nadia and baby Susanna in Nerviano It was the first time Liz had returned to Italy in 21 years “It was like finally meeting my best friend,” Liz smiles could live with them for a year to experience Kiwi life Pictured: Susanna’s grave (right) and the “beautiful merry little girl” as a baby (right) “I have been looking after your daughter’s grave for nearly 40 years Now it’s your turn to look after my daughter.” Liz’s answer was “My daughter is Nadia’s daughter and hers is mine.” Adding that Nadia still visits the grave every week “There is a link between our families that cannot be broken It is a promise kept for 40 years and a link of faithfulness.” Liz with her second husband Bevan and Italian Susanna Halloween is getting less and less to go and you're already thinking about what to do There are so many things to do on Halloween in and around Milan CityLife Shopping District celebrates the arrival of Halloween and the spookiest weekend of the year with a special “Monsters Village.” Among the most beloved creatures for children of all generations novels and comics imprinted in the collective imagination Monsters will be the stars of this year’s Shopping District Halloween special all those who go to Monster Park will receive a ticket for every €10 spent (in a single receipt) to have fun with classic “funfair” games such as jar toss The Leonardo3 Museum invites little explorers and their families to a magical Halloween evening with Leonardo da Vinci on Oct The adventure lasts 60 minutes and costs €15 per person In Vimodrone we find another field worth a visit if you want to hoard pumpkins That of Steflor’s Agricola delle Meraviglie in addition to being able to pick them yourself there will be special markets for edible or ornamental pumpkins and workshops in which to have fun The lively and welcoming Portello Square shopping center is preparing to celebrate Halloween with a special day dedicated to the little ones and engaging for adults as well amenity-rich mall becomes an enchanted place full of surprises and mysterious atmospheres typical of Halloween An unmissable opportunity to give children an unforgettable experience and to allow the whole family to immerse themselves in the enchantment of this haunted holiday Lots of activities: from the Haunted Treasure Hunt to Haunted Facepainting and much more Why not participate in a costume party from night to morning? Several venues are ready for you to go wild, here are some solutions have a frighteningly exciting experience among vampires bats and every other creepy being from this world or the other And if you really want something in full Halloween style, you can always take a trip and head to Trezzo Castle. Here a real scary horror tour awaits you complete with costumed actors ready to entertain or scare you……More info on the website autumn is celebrated with the Galbiate Pumpkin Field including live music performances and Halloween-themed evenings on Oct