Marco Pistoni has been named Business Management Director for MEADS International (MI) and the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program.

The multinational joint venture MI made the announcement Oct. 4. MI consists of MBDA Italia S.p.A., Lenkflugkorpersysteme (LFK) in Germany and Lockheed Martin [LMT] in the United States.

Pistoni joins the program management team in Orlando, Fla., on assignment from MBDA, and will report to the executive management team of President Jim Cravens (Lockheed Martin- U.S.), Executive Vice President Axel Widera (LFK – Germany) and Technical Director Claudio Ponzi (MBDA Italia). He succeeds Stefano Zalonis, who returned to Italy after contributing five years to the success of the MEADS Design and Development program.

Before his assignment to MI, Pistoni was Security and Facilities Director reporting to the Managing Director of MBDA Italia. In this position, he was responsible for industrial security, legal affairs, facilities procurement, maintenance, planning and cost control at MBDA.

Previously, he managed the Air-to-Air Missiles Business Unit and international missile programs involving IRIS-T, MEADS, HARM PNU and METEOR. He also worked as program manager for the Aspide missile and Skyguard Weapon System.

Before joining MBDA Italia’s predecessor Selenia in 1990, Pistoni attained the rank of Commander in the Italian Navy during a 17-year career.

Pistoni is a graduate of ITI Enrico Fermi with a degree in Industrial Engineering and the University of Rome La Sapienza with a degree in Statistics and Actuarial Sciences.

MEADS is a mobile air and missile defense system designed to replace Patriot systems in the United States and Germany, and Nike Hercules systems in Italy. It also meets the requirements of Germany’s capabilities oriented air and missile defense concept.

MEADS will provide capabilities beyond any other fielded or planned air and missile defense system. It will be easily deployed to a theater of operations and will be able to keep pace with fast-moving maneuver forces.

When completed, MEADS will be the only air and missile defense system able to roll off tactical transports with the troops and almost immediately begin operations. With an open architecture. MEADS will provide for 21st century air and missile defense system-of-system integration capabilities that allow operational mission-tailoring for homeland defense or defense of maneuver forces. MEADS will also provide greater firepower with less manpower than current systems, producing dramatic operation and support cost savings.

In May 2005, MEADS International signed a defined contract valued at $4 billion for MEADS design and development. The United States funds 58 percent of the MEADS program, and European partners Germany and Italy provide 25 percent and 17 percent, respectively.