Fruit of an international consortium involving Aeritalia, Aermacchi and Brazil’s Embraer, the AMX was conceived in the 1980s and 1990s as a single-seat light ground attack aircraft (AMX) and a two-seat advanced training aircraft with attack capability (AMX-T). The programme also marked the entry of Aermacchi into the field of composite materials in terms of development and production.

The Airbus A321 programme was the focus for an agreement between the two companies for the design and production of the front fuselage section of the civil transport aircraft. The partnership would grow to the point of producing over 2,000 fuselage sections at the Nola (Naples) plant.

The Typhoon, a multi-role fighter aircraft, is not only an excellent defence system but also a true technology incubator for European industry in terms of advanced materials, communications, avionics and digital solutions, thus facilitating the transition to the sixth generation of combat aircraft. In particular, Finmeccanica produced about 36% of the value of the entire quadrennial programme in which the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain also took part, with a key role in the aeronautics (composite structures) and electronics components (AESA - Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, infrared search and tracking systems, complete electronic measurement and countermeasure self-protection suites).

1995 saw the first flight of Development Aircraft no. 3 (DA3), the first Italian prototype and the first ever to be equipped with the final engines chosen for this aircraft, the Eurojet EJ200, which contributed to the programme’s success.

Following an agreement between NASA and ASI in 1991, Alenia Spazio began constructing the Multi-Purpose Logistic Modules (MPLM) used in shuttle flights to transfer material to and from the International Space Station (ISS). The three MPLM flight units, ‘Leonardo’, ‘Raffaello’ and ‘Donatello’ were designed for an operational life of 10 years and 25 missions. From March 2011, ‘Leonardo’ became a Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) and a permanent part of the Station. Finmeccanica’s expertise in structures and thermal control for space production dates back to the 1970s with Aeritalia’s participation in the Spacelab project. This enabled the Group to become one of the most accredited manufacturers of manned modules.

Cassini-Huygens, a joint NASA, ESA and ASI mission, was launched to study Saturn and its system of satellites and rings with a special focus on Titan, the largest of its moons. Finmeccanica built the SRU (Stellar Reference Unit) stellar sensor, used to keep Cassini on track on its interplanetary trajectory and when orbiting Saturn, the VIMS (Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) for visible and infrared mapping , and the HASI (Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument), which landed on Titan in 2005 and has enabled the study of the vertical structure of the satellite’s atmosphere, one of the largest in the entire solar system. Finmeccanica then contributed its electronic technologies to the success of the Cassini radar, designing and building the signal converter and its power amplifier, key elements for observing the surface of satellites under the clouds.

The first prototype of the C-27J, a high-performance twin-engine tactical transport aircraft, flew at Caselle Torinese Airport (Turin). The C-27J Spartan was recognised as the most effective multi-role military transport aircraft in its class. It is interoperable with other transport aircraft and, due to its robust construction, capable of operating from semi-prepared runways and under extreme environmental conditions.

Alenia Aeronautica entered into a partnership with Airbus to build the A380, the largest-ever commercial airliner. The agreement awarded the company the design and production - for the whole A380 family of aircraft and derivatives - of a central fuselage section comprising three major components (the upper and lower parts of the central fuselage, side panels with doors and central floor structure), plus related engineering activities, for a total value of 4% of the programme. The light-alloy structure was produced in the Nola and Pomigliano d'Arco  (Naples) plants and assembled with the other components in the Airbus sites in France. This was the largest participation in any European programme by a company not belonging to the manufacturing consortium.