Leonardo’s Michelangelo Security Dome advances with record-range radar intercept

A new validation step for Italy’s integrated air- and missile-defence architecture
Air- and missile-defence systems require high-accuracy sensing, long-range threat tracking and fast guidance support, particularly as European forces adopt layered architectures designed to counter evolving aerial threats. Leonardo’s Michelangelo Security Dome—the national framework for an integrated defence layer—has reached its first major technical milestone less than ten days after its official launch.

Ground qualification test confirms extended-range intercept performance
On 3 December 2025, Italy carried out the first qualification launch of the new SAMP/T NG surface-to-air missile, integrating Leonardo’s KRONOS Grand Mobile High Power radar.

This sensor is based on a multifunction AESA architecture, designed to manage simultaneous detection, tracking, classification, and engagement support for high-speed, high-altitude threats.

During the trial, the radar demonstrated the ability to acquire and track the target and guide the interceptor to a strike at a longer distance than any previous Eurosam SAMP/T land-based test, validating the radar’s performance envelope under representative operational conditions.

This result positions KRONOS Grand Mobile High Power among Europe’s highest-performing radar sensors for advanced air- and missile-defence systems.




Reinforcing progress toward the Michelangelo Security Dome
The achievement builds on earlier performance demonstrated in major international Integrated Air and Missile Defence exercises—including Formidable Shield and Pacific Dragon—as well as previous SAM system live trials involving the KRONOS radar family.

These accumulated results confirm the technological maturity required for Italy’s Michelangelo Security Dome, which is designed as a dynamic, open architecture capable of integrating multi-layer defensive assets.

Italy intends for this framework to serve as the national foundation and a potential European reference for a broader, interoperable air- and missile-defence dome.

A structured roadmap toward a fully integrated defence layer
With the successful qualification launch, Leonardo strengthens the technical backbone of Italy’s future defensive architecture. The combination of extended-range radar capability, proven guidance support and system-level interoperability provides a concrete step toward an integrated, scalable solution for European air- and missile-defence requirements.

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