Leonardo S.p.A CEO to QNA: Cooperation with Qatar Long-Standing

The State of Qatar constitutes a key market for Leonardo S.p.A, which has a long-standing collaboration with Doha, said Roberto Cingolani, the CEO and General Manager of Leonardo S.p.A - Italian industrial group that builds technological capabilities in aerospace and security. Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Cingolani said the activities of Leonardo S.p.A span across various fields, from defense systems to civil applications, pointing to great deal of work in the field of aerial surveillance, not only in terms of fence and control systems, but also with regard to aircraft and helicopters. With regard to civil applications, the CEO and General Manager of Leonardo S.p.A said there will be so much work to be done in relation to cyberspace and space applications in the future, fostering space economy and new markets, therefore joint activities will not be limited to consolidating border control and defense. He added that artificial intelligence-based services will grow substantially over the coming years, as such, Leonardo S.p.A has been investing in high performance computing, cloud computing, AI, and associated services. Cingolani said that these services will be very important for future satellite services, whether to monitor the environment or for defense, with all satellite services being driven by AI and data analysis, thus, making these services the most important to invest in for future space applications. Leonardo S.p.A CEO and General Manager said that it must be considered that in the future, multi-domain applications that connect space to land systems, ships, helicopters, and aircraft will require a lot of signals and data to be transmitted via wireless, making the protection of this data during transmission crucial. He expressed his belief that cybersecurity will be the second pillar of the future development of Leonardo S.p.A, not only in the State of Qatar but in general, adding that in the future, a way must be found as to have different interconnected platforms operating in a multi-domain e nvironment, with all of their signals and data being totally protected. Cingolani said that a Leonardo S.p.A hub has been established in Qatar to maintain the companys standing and continuous presence in the country, being a big market for the company, with work between the two sides mostly focusing on air traffic control, control management system, aircraft, helicopters, electronics, among others. The CEO and General Manager said that there is a large ongoing effort between both sides with regards to training, as a team of Qatari pilots is receiving training at Leonardo S.p.As International Flight Training School in Sardinia. He added that the development of training technologies is very important, not only with regards to piloting an aircraft but also in terms of having simulators to train pilots without really flying, adding that using AI and advance electronics, Leonardo S.p.A developed very sophisticated simulators. The Leonardo S.p.A CEO and General Manager said that Qatar has a strategic position w ithin its geographical context, expressing the groups desire to develop and grow its relationship with the country, especially that Leonardo is adamant on expanding its presence in the region, given Qatars future vision and its desire to invest in high tech advanced infrastructures. Cingolani concluded his remarks by reaffirming Leonardo S.p.As clear plan and eagerness to collaborate with the State of Qatar, noting that has been very successful so far, adding that there is large room for expansion and improvement and underscoring that teams from both sides are in constant contact to carry on their joint effort. He added that establishing the Leonardo S.p.A hub will ensure the groups stable presence in the region, which will facilitate interaction and the growth of the collaboration. Source: Qatar News Agency