Italian defense company Leonardo has announced plans for an AI-powered shield for cities and critical infrastructure (Leonardo S.p.A. and subsidiaries)
Italian defense company Leonardo on Thursday unveiled plans for an AI-powered shield for cities and critical infrastructure, adding to Europe's push to ramp up sovereign defense capabilities amid rising geopolitical tensions.
The system, dubbed the "Michelangelo Dome" in a nod to Israel's Iron Dome and U.S. President Donald Trump's plans for a "Golden Dome," will integrate multiple defense systems to detect and neutralize threats from sea to air including missile attacks and drone swarms.
Leonardo's shares were marginally higher Thursday and is up around 77% since January, amid a year of steep rises for defense stocks across Europe as the region's governments have hiked defense spending.
The UK's BAE Systems rose 42.7% since the start of 2025, Germany's Rheinmetall 148.9% and France's Thales 63.8%.
Leonardo's dome will be built on what CEO Roberto Cingolani called an "open architecture" system meaning it can operate alongside any country's defense systems.
"In a world where threats evolve rapidly and become ever more complex — and where defending is costlier than attacking — defense must innovate, anticipate and embrace international cooperation," said Cingolani, during an event on Thursday evening.
The company is targeting the project being fully operational by the end of the decade.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury told CNBC earlier on Thursday that the protocols to exchange data between countries and teams on the battlefield were still "still quite limited," adding it could take a decade to build out Europe's "digital battlefield."