Baykar, Leonardo to detail next phase of air combat partnership

FARNBOROUGH

Turkish defense company Baykar and Italy’s Leonardo will present results from joint flight tests involving the Bayraktar KIZILELMA unmanned fighter aircraft and Leonardo’s M-346 Fighter Attack jet at the Farnborough International Airshow.

The companies will hold a briefing on July 20, the opening day of the five-day exhibition in Britain.

The presentation will cover trials conducted in Türkiye and the next phase of the companies’ K-SWARM program, which is developing cooperation between manned and unmanned aircraft.

The first live tests were carried out at Baykar’s flight and test center in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ in May.

During the trials, KIZILELMA taxied and took off autonomously before joining the M-346 in formation.

Pilots aboard the M-346 then directed the unmanned aircraft through maneuvers including position changes, separations and rejoins.

An Italian Air Force T-346A was used as a chase aircraft during the tests.

The campaign marked the program’s transition from simulation to live operations.

The companies said the results would guide more complex trials involving additional functions and greater situational awareness in the coming months.

Baykar will also display its Bayraktar TB3 armed unmanned aerial vehicle at Farnborough.

The aircraft is designed to take off from and land on vessels with short runways.

Baykar and Leonardo signed a memorandum of understanding in Rome in March 2025 and established their joint venture, LBA Systems, at the Paris Air Show three months later.

Based in Italy and owned equally by the two companies, LBA Systems covers the design, development, production and support of unmanned aerial systems.

Under the partnership, Baykar provides its experience in unmanned aircraft development, while Leonardo contributes electronic systems and mission payloads, as well as manned-unmanned teaming, swarming, qualification and certification capabilities.