Leonardo and the Algerian Ministry of National Defence have announced the establishment of a joint venture for the local assembly, sale and support of Leonardo helicopters, nearly three years after a memorandum of understanding was signed in August 2016.
On March 25, 2019, Leonardo said the joint venture will be 49% owned by Leonardo and the remainder by the Algerian Ministry of National Defence. The joint venture, to be headquartered at a new facility at Ain Arnat in Setif Province, will be operational in 2021. It will assemble, sell and support helicopters mainly to meet Algeria’s requirements, but also cater to the export market.
The venture is part of Leonardo’s offset agreement with Algeria over the delivery of AgustaWestland helicopters to the North African nation; the company has supplied AW101, AW109, AW119 Koala, AW139 and Super Lynx helicopters to the Air Force, Gendarmerie, Navy and Presidency.
