Inside Leonardo Helicopters’ U.S. Operations — From Completions to Overhaul
Sep 18, 2025
Leonardo Helicopters is transforming its North American support network — and we take you inside the action. From the state-of-the-art, 72,000-square-foot Florida Support Center in Milton, to the bustling production lines and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) support in Philadelphia, this behind-the-scenes look explores how Leonardo is boosting customer service, cutting aircraft downtime, and expanding MRO capabilities across the continent.
In recent years, we have carried out a lot of expansion,
both in terms of our partnerships with third-party providers in the entire region
and in terms of our organic development,
such as with our Rotorblatt Repair Center in Bruset, Louisiana.
A fantastic example of certain skills
that, in our opinion, are best managed through organic investments
in order to achieve the right amount of quality
and industry-leading running times for this particular part of the company.
This has also enabled us to maintain a hub and a warehouse in Louisiana.
This location is strategically well located,
right where the Augusta Western Fleet is probably the most concentrated worldwide.
The new facility in Florida, the Whitting Aviation Park,
right in front of the naval base,
is a big step forward for us in terms of the development of our skills.
We have carried out transmission overtakes here in Philadelphia.
We are equipped here in Philadelphia with test stands for all intermediate and rear gear of the fleet.
For several years now, we have also equipped the main gears for the 109 and 119 helicopters.
In view of the growth of the fleet with the models 139, 169 and 189,
we of course also needed a location where we could expand our transmission capacities.
Therefore, in addition to the 24,000-foot large hangar, we are also installing a main transmission test stand,
which is suitable for all models, in order to support all helicopters in this region.
109, 119, 139, 169 and 89.
Our customers must be supported, and our network plays an important role in this.
The entire network strategy can be reduced to three words for us.
Performance, proximity and partnership.
When we speak of performance, we mean that in the end,
every single component of our helicopter should spend its entire lifecycle here on this continent.
When we speak of proximity, we ultimately expect that every customer receives the support and service they need,
and that they have a partner on their journey who leads them to success and is not further than a flight away.
And when we speak of partnership, we mean the partner we win, the partner we rely on,
which our customers should also rely on.
This must feel seamless for the customer, and they must be able to rely on their partner offering the quality level they expect directly from Lonado.
We have a number of initial requirements that we define and wrap up with the service centers.
Training plays a major role in this.
Tool equipment also plays a major role.
And one of the biggest changes we have made, in my opinion,
when we have expanded the network by over 30 percent in recent years,
is a major focus on the quality of the partnership we have there.
The customers already trust you, and the customers trust us now too.
It's just a matter of closing this circle.
In the almost 19 years I've been here, it was simply incredible to experience the growth here,
to be part of the growth, to be part of the growth of the company, the product and everything we were involved in.
I couldn't imagine being anywhere else.