• Giuseppe Giordo, former CEO of Finmeccanica unit Alenia Aermacchi.

Odolena Voda, Czech Republic. 29 June 2016. Giuseppe Giordo came to lead the largest aviation manufacturer in the Czech Republic in the time Aero develops new military multirole training aircraft L-39NG, new generation of legendary jet trainer. His predecessor, Ladislav Šimek, led the company for seven years.

The new president and CEO of Aero served in 2011-2015 as the Chief Executive Officer of Finmeccanica unit Alenia. However, his career in aerospace industry started already in 1990. Among other tasks, Giordo has overseen sales of military jet trainers, in which Alenia has achieved great successes.

The change in the management team of Aero corresponds with the recent announcement of the Penta Group, Aero’s owner. Penta Group announced a plan to engage more foreign managers in its companies. “Under Penta, Aero moved to close cooperation with global players in the industry. To reach the goal to become a stable member of group of global aerospace leaders, we see as important to engage a manager with extensive professional experience within the global aviation industry,“ said Zdeněk Kubát, investment director of Penta.

AERO Vodochody AEROSPACE a.s. designs and manufactures military and civil aircraft. It is the largest aviation manufacturer in the Czech Republic and one of the oldest aerospace companies in the world. In the field of civil aviation, Aero partners with many of the world’s largest manufacturers in a wide range of projects. Aero recently became a full partner in several risk-sharing programs, taking responsibility not only for the production but also the design and development of structures. In the field of military aircraft, Aero has been a reliable long-term partner to many of the world’s air forces. Aero is a founding member of the Confederation of the Czech Aviation Industry.

The L-39NG aircraft is a modern and effective trainer designed as a unified, comprehensive training system for modern air forces. The L-39NG is based on the aerodynamic concept of the current L-39 but utilizes the latest technologies and equipment. Power is provided by the highly modern FJ44-4M engine supplied with the TAP Blue engine support system to ensure unprecedented airworthiness and predictable maintenance costs. The aircraft’s avionics are prepared to train future pilots of 4th and 5th generation aircraft, and can be tailored to the customer’s requirements to a great extent. The L-39NG is equipped with five mounting points for weapons. The aircraft also features a broad range of simulation technologies including integration into high-tech tactical simulation centres with the goal of increasing training effectiveness.