NATO Integrated Defence: Leonardo's Capabilities at Formidable Shield 2025

During the Formidable Shield 2025 exercise, the Italian Navy's Giovanni delle Bande Nere deployed Leonardo’s SADOC 4 and Dual Band Radar systems to detect and track ballistic, aerial and surface threats.

As operating environments grow more complex and interconnected, validating the effectiveness of systems in multi-domain scenarios and their ability to operate cohesively and coordinated between allied naval forces is now a strategic imperative. To address this need, the At Sea Demonstration / Formidable Shield 25 (ASD/FS25) was held–a joint Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) activity planned every two years by the United States Sixth Fleet and conducted by STRIKFORNATO, a NATO command based in Lisbon.

Among the protagonists of the operation was the Italian Navy, which deployed the Giovanni delle Bande Nere: the first of the MPCS/PPA (Multi-Purpose Combat Ship/PPA) Multi Mission Combat Units in “full” configuration equipped with the most advanced combat systems developed by Leonardo. During the exercise, which included a series of live-fire events, the unit successfully deployed SADOC 4, the command-and-control system with IAMD capabilities, and Dual Band Radar, an advanced radar suite designed to track ballistic, airborne (including drones and supersonic missiles) and surface threats.

SADOC 4 is the ship's brain: a new-generation command-and-control system designed to quickly and effectively coordinate defence against air and missile threats, even the most advanced and difficult ones to intercept. Designed for today's and tomorrow's operational needs, SADOC 4 integrates advanced technologies based on the continuous evolution of interaction between man and machine. From the keyboard to multi-touch controls, the system revolutionises the way operators manage information and access commands, simplifying tasks and reducing decision-making times. A more intuitive and dynamic approach that improves operational readiness and makes the ship even more responsive and aware of the scenario in which it operates.

The Dual Band Radar is a radar suite designed to be installed on various types of ships. It offers high performance thanks to the arrangement of its panels, which ensure complete coverage and reduce electromagnetic interference. The radar is capable of performing multiple functions simultaneously: surveillance, target tracking, missile guidance, fire support and electronic attack, operating in all directions in a coordinated and flexible manner.

Thanks to the capabilities of the command-and-control system developed by Leonardo, the ship operated cohesively and effectively with NATO allied forces, contributing significantly to the shared situational awareness of the naval force. Notably, the onboard radar suite detected and tracked a short-range ballistic target while maintaining tracking and disseminating the track to the point of impact at sea. The ship also acted as a Forward Observer, independently identifying medium-range ballistic missiles launched from both land and sea, and sharing data in real time via tactical links. Leonardo's Dual Band Radar stood out for its ability to initialise tracking within seconds of launch and accurately track ballistic missiles for hundreds of kilometres, even at supersonic speeds.

During the final forum of the exercise, held in the North Sea from 3 to 23 May 2025, the Italian Navy was recognised as having one of the highest levels of IAMD capability in the world, thanks to the capabilities of its sensors and the ability of SADOC 4 to operate and exchange data with the systems of the most technologically advanced units in the world, first and foremost the American ones.