LEIDOS INNOVATIONS UK LTD

Their core work

Leidos Innovations UK (formerly Lockheed Martin Business Technology Solutions) is a major defence and technology contractor providing air traffic management (ATM) systems and software to European aviation authorities. Within H2020, they contributed exclusively to SESAR projects — the EU's programme to modernise European airspace — focusing on network management, demand-capacity balancing, runway throughput optimisation, and wake turbulence separation. Their participation as a third party across all seven projects indicates they supply specialist ATM technology and simulation capabilities to SESAR consortium members, likely through their parent entity's existing ATM contracts.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the earlier period (2016–2019), Leidos contributed broadly across SESAR's ATM modernisation portfolio — airspace management, network-level demand-capacity balancing, data infrastructure (SWIM), and system integration. From 2019 onward, their focus narrowed sharply toward runway operations: throughput optimisation, wake vortex separation, and arrival/departure sequencing. The most recent project (VLD3-W2 SORT, 2020–2023) is a validation demonstration, suggesting a shift from research toward operational deployment of runway throughput solutions.

Moving from upstream ATM infrastructure research toward operational validation of runway separation and throughput technologies — positioning for deployment contracts.

How they like to work

Leidos participated exclusively as a third party in all seven projects, meaning they were brought in by consortium members rather than joining as direct partners or coordinators. With 83 unique partners across 25 countries, their network is wide but indirect — they connect to SESAR's large consortium ecosystem through their parent entities. This third-party-only pattern is typical of major technology suppliers who contribute proprietary systems or testbed infrastructure without taking on formal project management responsibilities.

Connected to 83 unique partners across 25 countries through the SESAR programme ecosystem, giving them indirect relationships with most major European air navigation service providers, airports, and ATM technology companies. Their network is broad but mediated — always accessed through a parent consortium member.

What sets them apart

As a subsidiary of Leidos (a $15B+ US defence and IT company), this Glasgow-based entity brings industrial-scale ATM technology capabilities that few European SMEs or research institutes can match. Their consistent third-party role across nearly the entire SESAR programme means they have deep familiarity with European ATM modernisation requirements without the overhead of formal consortium leadership. For anyone building an ATM-related consortium, they offer proven delivery capacity and operational system knowledge backed by one of the world's largest defence technology firms.

Highlights from their portfolio

• VLD3-W2 SORT
  Their most recent and only validation-phase project, focused on operational deployment of runway throughput optimisation — signals transition from research to real-world implementation.
• PJ02 EARTH
  Covers the widest technical scope including LiDAR, wake vortex, GBAS/SBAS, rotorcraft operations, and curved approaches — reveals the breadth of their runway technology capabilities.
• PJ09 DCB
  Most keyword-rich project addressing the strategic network management layer (ATFCM, demand-capacity balancing, network operations plan) — shows they operate at both network and airport level.