Draft:OMA S.p.A. (Aerospace Company)

• Comment: See the referencing tutorial at WP:INTREFVE qcne (talk) 16:03, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

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OMA (Officine Meccaniche Aeronautiche) is an Italian company founded in Foligno in 1948. It operates in the global aeronautical market in the design, development and production of integrated aerostructures, hydraulic and electromechanical on-board systems. It also carries out maintenance and overhaul services for Auxiliary Power Units (APUs), gear boxes and fixed and rotary wing aircraft.

History

The origins: the Rasiglia wool mill

In 1914 Umberto Tonti founded a wool mill in Rasiglia, Umbria.

OMA Officine Meccaniche Aeronautiche
Logo
Nation	Italy
Corporate form	italian S.p.A.
Foundation	1948 in Foligno (Perugia, Italy)
Founded by	Umberto Tonti
Headquarters	Foligno
Subsidiary	Sky Eye Systems S.r.l.
Key people	Umberto Nazzareno Tonti, Amedeo Tonti, Daniele Tonti
Industry	Aerospace
Products	On-board systems, integrated aerostructures, MRO
Turnover	€ 80.604.162,00 (2023)
Employees	720
Slogan	«Proud to make the future fly»
Website	www.omafoligno.it/

The activity covered the wool processing cycle: from spinning and dyeing to the production of fabrics and blankets, including uniforms for the Italian Army. The woolen mill used electricity generated from the sources of the Menotre River.

In 1925 Tonti moved the business to Pisciarello, where he built a power plant to serve the company.

During the World War II, the wool mill suffered damage due to the retreat operations of the German troops, with the contribution of the employees, the wool mill became operational again also with the use of machinery and mechanical parts found at the former AUSA Macchi, an aeronautical company in Foligno belonging to the Macchi family from Varese which had just ceased operations in Umbria due to the damage suffered during the World War II. A foundry and workshop connected to the wool mill, also known as the "little spark", was thus established in Rasiglia. Local skills were then used to start a business in the aeronautical sector.

The birth of OMA

On 14 January 1948 Umberto Tonti founded OMA, moving the workshop to Foligno, near the airport. Shortly thereafter, the company signed the first contract with the Ministry of Defense for the maintenance and repair of military aircraft. OMA, following the acquisition of the overhaul orders, also began manufacturing ground equipment for the maintenance of aircraft and related engines for civil, national and international airlines (LAI, then Alitalia, Lufthansa, TWA, SAS, KLM etc.) and for the Italian Air Force. In those years, OMA also began its activity relating to the manufacture, under licence, of parts necessary for the maintenance of on-board aircraft equipment and the overhaul of complete light aircraft of the Piper L18C and L21B, Cessna L19 and SM1019 types for the Italian Air Force and the ALE Aviazione Leggera of the Italian Army. The then Ministry of Defense included OMA in the Lockheed-Aeritalia program, relating to the F-104S aircraft which would be manufactured in Italy under an American license.

Rasiglia (Umbria)

In 1973 Domenico Tonti, son of the founder, became sole director. OMA actively participated in the MRCA (Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) Tornado program, the first European multinational program, taking care of the design and development of on-board equipment for the customer Aeritalia (later to become Alenia Aeronautica and then Leonardo). Collaborations were then developed with other companies in the

aeronautical sector: with Agusta (which also later merged into the Leonardo group), OMA also

started its business in the helicopter sector, both civil and military, with the AB212 and AB412 programmes,

while with Boeing and McDonnell Douglas OMA became active in the supply of structural components for

large commercial aircraft such as the B767, the B717, DC9, DC10, MD11.

The growth and the multi-year development plan

In the 80s and 90s, orders were acquired for national and international aeronautical programs, including ATR, Eurofighter (EFA), AMX, A129, EH 101 and NH90.

OMA then began the production of integrated structures, such as thrust reversers for business aircraft (LearJet, Gulfstream), cargo conversion kits for DC8, B737, B747 aircraft and underwing surveillance pods for ATRs.

In the 2000s, OMA recorded an increase in production volumes due to the acquisition of high-production programs,

Umberto Tonti - OMA Founder

such as those related to the A320 in the civil sector. The company then participated in the design, development

and production of equipment for the M-346 trainer, later chosen by the Frecce Tricolori as a replacement for the

MB339s. OMA participated in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the fifth generation fighter selected by

Lockheed Martin and Alenia (now Leonardo).

In November 2008 he co-founded the Umbria Aerospace Cluster, now Umbria Aerospace Cluster (UAC), an

association representing Umbrian companies active in the aeronautical, space and defense sectors.

The Cluster is active in the internationalization, training, innovation and development of associated companies.

In January 2017, Sky Eye Systems (SES) was founded, a company with operational headquarters in Cascina in the province of Pisa in Tuscany, active in the design, development, prototyping and implementation and provision of logistical support services for a family of "Small-Tactical" Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The Rapier X-25, SES's first product, is used by the Italian Air Force and the Italian Army. Through Sky Eye Systems, OMA also positions itself as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) in the industry.

Structure

The company has five operating units: four production plants in Foligno, specialized in the design and development of integrated aerostructures, aeronautical on-board systems and product support activities, plus Sky Eye Systems.

Products

The company manages the entire production process, starting from the processing and surface treatment of metal components in aluminium, titanium and steel. The manufactured components are subsequently assembled into integrated structures and structured systems.

The company develops and produces systems such as: landing gear actuators, braking systems, hydraulic systems, flight control systems and thrust reversers, integrating engineering expertise in the mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic and electromechanical fields.

The company provides product support services, which include technical manuals and the management of maintenance and repair activities. In the respective departments the company deals with:

• Aircraft: Over 700 aircraft underwent maintenance. Complete maintenance activities of the U-208A and T-260B fleets of the Italian Air Force are managed.
• Engines: Maintenance work was completed on 850 piston engines, primarily the Lycoming O-540-E-4A5 model, installed on the U-208A and T-260B.
• Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) and Gearboxes: Over 470 Auxiliary Power Units and 450 gearboxes have been maintained for the Ministry of Defence, supporting the Tornado and C130J fleets.

Sectors

OMA operates in the commercial aviation sector, supporting market segments such as commercial, cargo, regional and business jet aircraft. In the defense sector it participates in the creation of training, transport and special mission aircraft. Specifically, with its products OMA participates in the creation of:

• Passenger aircraft, such as the Airbus A320 Family (A318/A319/A320/A320neo/A321
• Helicopters, including most of Leonardo's family of aircraft (AW101, AW109, AW129, AW139, AW169, AW189, AW249) and Airbus (Super Puma, Dauphin, H175, H160, H160M), as well as KAI's NH90 and KUH
• Turboprop, such as the ATR 42/72 and the Piaggio P-180 Business Jets, such as the Bombardier Global Express and G7500, or the Gulfstream G280 and G700
• Cargo aircraft, such as the B737-300, -400 and -700, B767 and ATR Trainers, such as the M346 Master and M345 HET Airlifter, such as the C-130J and C27J Military aircraft such as the F35 JSF, the Eurofighter and the Tornado MRCA.
• Tanker B767

Italian customers include Leonardo, the Ministry of Defense and Avio Aero. In Europe, Safran, Airbus, ATR, Liebherr and BAE Systems. International customers include Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Heroux Devtek, Nordam, PEMCO, IAI, Turkish Aerospace and Korean Aerospace Industries - KAI.

OMA has partnerships with Universities and Research Institutes such as CIRA (Italian Aerospace Research Centre), INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics), the University of Perugia, ITS Umbria Academy, and with trade associations such as AIAD (Federation of Italian Companies for Aerospace and Defence). It also collaborates with local Umbrian bodies and companies, such as SVILUPPUMBRIA, Confindustria Umbria, Foligno-Spoleto Airport and with the Umbria Aerospace Cluster, of which Daniele Tonti, Chief Strategy Officer of OMA, has become President since January 2021.

Bibliography

• L. Cesari, Un aeroporto una storia. Aeroporto di Foligno, OMA Spa Foligno
• L. Cesari, Una fabbrica una storia. AUSA Aeronautica Umbra Società Anonima, OMA Spa Foligno
• V. Tonti, Rasiglia nelle memorie
• V. Tonti, Tanto è mercante chi guadagna, tanto è mercante chi rimette. Vita col padre Umberto Tonti

External links

• Website www.omafoligno.it