Türkiye's Baykar expands footprint in Europe with Leonardo drone deal PHOTO

At the 55th Paris Air Show in France, Turkish defence firm Baykar and Italian aerospace company Leonardo formalised an agreement to establish a joint venture focused on next-generation unmanned aerial systems.

According to SavunmaSanayiST.com, the agreement was signed during the exhibition by Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani and Baykar Chairman of the Board Selçuk Bayraktar, Caliber.Az reports.

Selçuk Bayraktar ve Cingolani, Baykar ve Leonardo’nun iştiraki olan LBA Systems için imzayı Paris’te attı!

Leonardo Üst Yöneticisi Cingolani: "Son zamanlarda bazı ön temasların ardından Baykar'ı ziyaret ettik sanırım yedi ay önceydi. Yani ilk kez Baykar'a gitmiştik ve etkileyici… pic.twitter.com/qWEMvRvpzz

— SavunmaSanayiST.com (@SavunmaSanayiST) June 16, 2025

Cingolani stated that the new joint venture aims to develop a new generation of unmanned systems, with production slated to begin soon. He welcomed the agreement, noting that there is currently a significant capability gap in unmanned aerial vehicles within NATO and Europe.

According to him, Baykar and Leonardo have already started work on integrating payload systems and plan to carry out a landing test on an Italian Navy aircraft carrier by the end of the year.

The production of the unmanned systems will be distributed across four Italian regions, including Ronchi dei Legionari. Cingolani also mentioned that the certification process for the aircraft is underway, with certification expected to be completed by 2026.

The European market will be the primary focus for sales, he added, pointing out that the region is currently facing a considerable shortage of UAV capabilities.

Baykar, widely regarded as one of the world’s leading UAV exporters, has signed export agreements with 35 countries for its Bayraktar TB2 and with 15 countries for its more advanced Bayraktar Akıncı model.

By Tamilla Hasanova