Leonardo expects more deals as Europe ramps up defense spending

Leonardo's new CEO told CNBC he expects to pursue further acquisitions to support the company's long-term growth, as Europe's defense spending boom gathers pace."The ramping gap in how we fulfil the demand is really the key element to deliver to our customers what they need… both for our European arm and for the U.S. arm," Lorenzo Mariani told CNBC's Carolin Roth in Rome, pointing to M&A, including over the past few days, as an area of opportunity.Europe's defense industry is scrambling to meet soaring demand for new military equipment, amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and increased NATO spending targets. Alongside investment in factories and hiring, contractors are using acquisitions to add technologies, secure supply chains and expand industrial capabilities more quickly."What really matters today is accelerating all our processes," Mariani said.Defense dealmakingMariani said the company would continue pursuing acquisitions and strategic partnerships to support long-term growth. His comments come as Leonardo has broadened its defense portfolio through acquisitions in land systems, cybersecurity and AI-enabled mission software.It completed a 1.6-billion-euro ($1.8 ...