Leonardo denies sale of OTO Melara 76/62 naval guns to Myanmar Navy: Rome, January 15, 2025 – Leonardo, an Italian multinational specializing in aerospace, defense and security sectors, has issued a strong denial of recent media reports alleging it supplied OTO Melara 76/62 naval guns to the Myanmar Navy.
In a statement released today, Leonardo said “such rumors, reported by some media sources including Il Manifesto, Asian Defence Journal,Janes among others, are entirely unfounded.” The company further emphasized that “Leonardo, neither directly nor indirectly through third parties, sells or has ever sold OTO Melara 76/62 guns to the Myanmar Armed Forces. This also includes the period prior to the 1996 arms embargo and the enactment of ‘Legge 185/90’.”
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Leonardo’s OTO Melara 76/62 Naval Gun.
Leonardo said that all its defense equipment sales contracts, including those for the aforementioned naval guns and other technologies, are subject to the requirements of Law 185/90. These contracts necessitate End User Certificates issued by the government authorities of the purchasing country.
The company also pointed to its licensing agreement with BHEL, an Indian company, for the licensed production of the 76/62 guns. This agreement explicitly prohibits sales or exports without prior authorization from Leonardo and the relevant Italian authorities. BHEL has also officially confirmed, via a communication dated January 9, 2025, that it has never delivered or exported the 76/62 gun to Myanmar’s Navy.
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It is important to note that Myanmar is included on Leonardo’s list of sensitive countries. Consequently, no transactions of any kind, including those involving civilian goods, are permitted to proceed without a thorough and appropriate assessment. Leonardo’s Trade Compliance policies guarantee complete adherence to all applicable laws and regulations set forth by the relevant authorities.
The company maintains a rigorous and constantly evolving internal compliance program to monitor adherence to export control laws, regulations, and sanctions regimes. Leonardo also reserves the right to take all necessary actions to defend its reputation against these baseless reports in the appropriate legal forums.
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