Italian defence company Leonardo unveiled on 27 November 2025 an AI-powered integrated defence system called Michelangelo Dome, designed to protect critical infrastructure and urban areas amid rising geopolitical tensions. The company targets full operational capability by the end of the decade. Leonardo's shares rose approximately 77% since January 2025.
Michelangelo Dome is a smart defense network that connects advanced sensors across land, sea, air, and space using AI algorithms. It can instantly spot and track attacks—such as super-fast missiles or swarms of drones—and automatically coordinate the right weapons to stop them. Built on an open architecture system, it remains fully compatible with current and future command and control assets of other nations and compliant with NATO standards. An initial iteration called Dead Zone is expected to be ready for the Italian Ministry of Defence by the end of 2027, with new systems available in a two-year follow-on period and interconnected systems with allied nations in a four-year timeframe. This development aligns with the EU's May 2025 announcement of a €150 billion programme for defence procurement and NATO members' June commitment to increase defence spending to 5% by 2035.
The Michelangelo Dome strengthens Leonardo's role in the European defense sector, while contributing to the greater integration of European and NATO defence capabilities. The announcement represents a broader momentum in the defence sector, with UK's BAE Systems rising 42.7% since early 2025, Germany's Rheinmetall increasing 148.9% and France's Thales gaining 63.8%.
Sources:
1. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/28/leonardo-unveils-michelangelo-dome-ai-powered-shield-system.html
2. https://www.leonardo.com/en/press-release-detail/-/detail/27-11-2025-leonardo-cingolani-presents-michelangelo-the-security-dome
3. https://www.leonardo.com/en/focus-detail/-/detail/michelangelo-sistema-multidominio-difesa-aerea-leonardo
4. https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/11/28/italys-leonardo-unveils-ai-powered-michelangelo-dome-to-boost-europes-defence
5. https://www.edrmagazine.eu/leonardo-unveils-michelangelo-dome-the-new-multi-domain-integrated-defence-system
