Leonardo expanding US plant for chips used in defence

Leonardo Electronics US Inc., a provider of next-gen technologies for defence, security, medical, and industrial applications and a US subsidiary of Leonardo, announced plans to expand its regional presence in Oro Valley, Arizona, north of Tucson. Leonardo Electronics US Inc. has purchased 12 acres in Innovation Park and is planning the construction of a new state-of-the-art semiconductor laser manufacturing facility. Leonardo Electronics US Inc. has been present in the Tucson region since 2009, through Lasertel, and the company has outgrown its current facility. The new Innovation Park location will comprise approximately 120,000 square feet of manufacturing and administrative offices. A rendering of the new facility can be found here. Construction is anticipated to begin at the end of Q1, 2022. Leonardo Electronics US Inc.’s laser operations are currently located at 7775 N. Casa Grande Highway, Tucson, AZ 85743 and employs around 200 people. The full expansion over five years will add an additional 170 jobs to the Tucson facility, primarily in engineering, production, quality control, IT, HR, marketing, business development, purchasing and finance. The total capital investment will be approximately $100 million, resulting in a total economic impact of $374 million over the next 10 years. In addition to Sun Corridor Inc., partners in the project include the Arizona Commerce Authority, Pima County, the Town of Oro Valley, VentureWest, Trammel Crow, SmithGroup and Sundt Construction. Matthew Keegan, president & CEO, Leonardo Electronics US Inc.: “This new larger facility will support our business growth across all key market segments. We ultimately selected Innovation Park in Oro Valley due to its proximity to our existing employee base and exceptional talent in the region, which is one of the leading photonics technology hubs in the country.” For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Director of Sales Graham Joss at [email protected]