Leonardo and Baykar’s drone project gains major coverage in Italy’s top press

Major Italian media widely covered the launch of LBA Systems, a joint venture between Türkiye’s leading UAV manufacturer, Baykar and one of Europe’s largest defence firms, Leonardo.

According to Yeni Şafak, the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera published an article titled “Leonardo’s Agreement with Türkiye’s Baykar on UAVs,” reporting that the two companies, after signing a memorandum of understanding in March, officially established the LBA Systems joint venture on June 17.

The partnership is split evenly, with both Leonardo and Baykar holding 50% stakes, and its focus is on producing UAVs on Italian soil.

The article highlights that LBA Systems’ mission is to design, develop, and manufacture remotely piloted aircraft systems.

Baykar will supply core products such as the TB3 and Akıncı UAV models, while Leonardo will be responsible for outfitting these drones with advanced electronic systems enabling communication between UAVs and manned aircraft pilots.

Italy’s leading financial daily, Il Sole 24 Ore, also covered the story in an article titled “Leonardo and Baykar Create Joint Venture LBA System.”

It emphasised that the new venture will concentrate on Leonardo supplying cutting-edge electronics, sensors, cameras, payload systems, and other technologies. These will be integrated with Baykar’s advanced unmanned aerial vehicles, and the joint effort will include designing and developing new drone platforms using the latest generation technologies.

The article concludes: “This project strengthens Leonardo’s presence in the UAV sector and Baykar’s position in the European market. The Leonardo and Baykar super-smart UAV project has officially begun.”

By Tamilla Hasanova