Ugo Manetti

Ugo Manetti was born in Florence, Italy, on 25 June 1948. In 1967 he entered the Italian Air Force Academy in Pozzuoli (Naples), where in 1970 he obtained the Air Force Academy Diploma. In 1972 he received a Doctoral Degree (Laurea) in Electronic Engineering, having specialized in telecommunications from the Università degli Studi, Naples..

In early 1973 he was assigned to the Italian Experimental Flight Test Centre Reparto Sperimentale di Volo (RSV), Pratica di Mare (Roma), where he held various responsibilities up to Armament Service Chief (at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel) until mid-1984. While at the RSV, he was sent to the RAF College in Cranwell (UK) to attend the n.8 GD Aerosystems Course, qualifying at the end of 1975 as an Avionic Experimental Flight Test Engineer. Responsibilities at the RSV ranged from evaluating aircraft improvements and upgrades (for the F104, MB326E, MB339) and new developments (for the Tornado, AMX) to research activities.

He was assigned, in mid-1984, to the Italian MOD General Directorate COSTARMAEREO, which is in charge of the acquisition of aeronautical materials. He was the VI Division's Electronic Warfare Section Leader, responsible for the EW procurement programs ECM, RWR, IRW, and Chaff & Flares.

From March 1987 to July 1990 he was the Avionic & Armament Division's Armament Section Leader at NEFMA (NATO EuroFighter Management Agency), where he participated in setting up the Agency and starting the EFA development program.

Upon returning to Italy, he was assigned for one year to the Italian Nike Maintenance Centre in Padua as Technical and Planning Director, and then to the Italian MOD General Directorate TELEDIFE, which is in charge of the acquisition of informatics, telecommunications, navigation aids, and surveillance systems.At TELEDIFE he gained expertise in various fields, holding the positions of Chief, VIII Division (Telecommunication Networks & Satellite Communications) from 1991 to 1997; Chief, IV Division (Navigation Aids & Meteorology) during 1997; Chief, V Division (Radars) from end-1997 to late 1998; and Chief, VI Division (Command, Control & Information Systems) from late 1998 to late 1999. After being promoted to Brig. General in July 1999, he was appointed Chief, II Department (Navigation Aids & Meteorology; Ground Surveillance Systems; Command, Control & Information Systems; and Surveillance, Navigation & Meteorological Satellite Systems). During his time at TELEDIFE he was involved in many international programs in the capacity of MIDS and NGIFF Italian Project Director, ACCS Italian Representative to the Source Recommendation Panel, TELEDIFE Representative to the NACMO BOD and Italian Representative at the RTO/IST Panel.

General Manetti joined the NATO C3 Agency on 1 October 2001 as Deputy General Manager. In addition to the tasks peculiar to his position, he was also the NC3A representative to the RTO, NACMO BOD and AGS Steering Committees. Gen. Manetti left NC3A at the end of his five years tour on 30 September 2006.

Returning to Italy General Manetti was again assigned to the Italian MOD General Directorate TELEDIFE as Director of International Programs Coordination Office in charge of major NATO/EU/Int. Cooperation Programs in the C4ISR field, only to mention the Italian Software Defined Radio Program including IT participation to MIDS-JTRS and European Secure SOftware Radio Programs (ESSOR), as ITPC Representative.

General Manetti, promoted Major General, retired on the 25th of June 2009.

Ing. Manetti then joined SELEX-Comms and on the 1st of January 2010 took up the position of President of the a4ESSOR SAS, Joint Venture among six major EU TLC Companies (namely EB, INDRA, RADMOR, SAAB, SELEX-Comms, THALES).