Leonardo hires veterans for engineering roles to bolster national security

Former RAF Radar Technician, Alex, has transformed his career by joining Leonardo, to work on an advanced programme to develop the RAF’s advanced next generation fighter, Tempest.

Under Team Tempest, Leonardo is working with the BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, MBDA and the Ministry of Defence to develop the technologies needed for the next generation of combat air. Team Tempest is working in support of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) with Italy and Japan to deliver a fighter jet for 2035.

Craig Drysdale, Leonardo VP Talent & Engagement said: “It can take years to build awareness of our products, customers and end-users, yet veterans bring this knowledge with them. Having that built-in understanding can expand veterans’ contribution to our programmes exponentially. Veterans can enrich the diversity of perspectives we can draw from for our future technology.”

It is a point that veteran Alex agrees with. Alex first became aware of Leonardo during military trials on Benbecula in the Hebrides when he worked as an RAF Radar technician for the long-range protection of UK airspace. Rogue aircraft are picked up at long distance by the Nordic states, who then share this information with the UK to monitor.

When Alex was contacted by Matchtech for an opportunity at Leonardo, he was already familiar with the company so he went ahead and applied. He now works as a systems engineer for Leonardo, working between their Luton and Lincoln sites on their combat air technology development.

Alex said: “I previously worked in a military role for NATO, overseeing a complex communications network used for translation at top level NATO meetings where you had to maintain the highest level of security. I learned about the cultural differences in the ways countries work, as we had representatives from a total of 29 different nations.

"I'm working directly with the Italians and the Japanese on new technology, so having that cultural awareness is a big help. Normally everyone just focuses on the pilot’s view, but I’m also able to see things from a technician’s and operations personnel point of view, which I think is helpful.”

Leonardo provides technology for the Typhoons used every day by the RAF from their Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) air bases, including RAF Lossiemouth in Moray in the North East of Scotland and RAF High Wycombe and RAF Coningsby in England.

The RAF QRA air bases detect and identify all aircraft in and around UK airspace, 24/7, 365 days a year. Leonardo is responsible for over 60% of the RAF Typhoon’s on-board avionics, equipping the aircraft with advanced situational awareness and survivability, allowing them to respond rapidly to any rogue aircraft entering British airspace.

Leonardo has collaborated in the launch of The LEAP Programme, developed through a partnership between Matchtech, Innexia, and the School of Systems Engineering (SOSE), to provide veterans with a fast-track learning programme, to enable them to become systems engineers.

Systems engineers design and manage complex interlinking computer systems, that are central to Leonardo technology. Leonardo employs thousands of former members of the military and is home to an Armed Forces Network to maintain a sense of that community in the workplace.

LEAP is designed to create new opportunities for armed forces veterans and other professionals, by creating a career development pathway into Systems Engineering which previously didn’t exist.

Leonardo has 22 Systems Engineers already contributing to projects from the LEAP Programme, with a further 5 scheduled to join the company in April. Plans are in place to have 40 LEAP Systems Engineers working on Leonardo projects by the end of Summer 2025.

Aidan Wood, Defence & Security Director at Matchtech, said: “We’re delighted to be offering life-changing development opportunities to veterans bringing them into the LEAP Programme and a career in Systems Engineering at Leonardo. We recognise that the skills and experiences gained in the Armed Forces are incredibly valuable and transferable to systems engineering. LEAP is about equipping veterans and other professionals with the tools they need to succeed while contributing to a mission that goes beyond business—national security.”