Leonardo is to bolster its "8,000-strong" team in the UK by recruiting around 200 "mainly high-value science and engineering roles" for a new high-technology facility in Newcastle.
The location, at the Newcastle Helix, will be "a ground-breaking 24-acre city centre development that brings together industry leaders, businesses, and top researchers into an internationally renowned innovation cluster".
Leonardo said the new facility would lead to "over £185 million of economic benefit in the region over the next ten years" and would allow it "to access talent from across the north-east of England and build closer links with small and medium sized businesses across the region, many of which are already part of Leonardo’s nationwide supply chain".
Leonardo makes military helicopters for the UK as well as "cutting-edge electronics" for Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft. Describing itself as "one of the biggest suppliers to the UK Ministry of Defence", Leonardo is involved in an Italian, Japanese and UK joint effort to develop a sixth-generation fighter jet by 2035.