Speaking to Italian publication L’Espresso, Giuseppe Bono said his mandate was not being renewed by the Italian government due to his age, adding that he “respected” the decision.
“It’s a process, it won’t happen immediately, but there is a deep willingness by political and defense players for big opportunities of this kind in Europe,” Alessandro Profumo told reporters in Rome.
Politicians, unionists and industrialists have all joined a sometimes heated discussion about Oto Melara ever since state-controlled Leonardo said last year it wanted to sell a stake in the firm to focus on other activities.
By confirming the date had been pushed back, Prime Minister Mario Draghi appeared to solve a row with a member of his ruling coalition, the Five Star party.
Prime contractor Airbus announced it had selected the Catalyst, an engine developed by GE Avation-owned Avio Aero, to power the flagship drone, due to be procured by Italy, France, Germany and Spain.
The aircraft crashed into Mount Legnone near Lake Como on Wednesday, prompting rescue services to search for the ejected pilots on the slopes of the mountain.
Speculation has grown that Russian troops will advance to Transnistria and use it as a launch pad for further operations in Ukraine or even an invasion of Moldova.
Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone was speaking at a seminar marking the launch of a new think tank report, which urged the Italian government to beef up space defense and keep orbital paths clear of debris.
The Italian cabinet signed off on a measure authorizing the dispatch of Stinger surface-to-air missiles, mortars and Milan, or Panzerfaust, anti-tank weapons.
Top of the list are two 10,000 tonne DDX destroyers with a total price tag of 2.7 billion euros ($3bn), followed by 64 new amphibious vehicles and 347 VTMM 2 armored vehicles for the army.