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Senior Italian defense officials toured the facilities of Türkiye's Baykar defense company Monday, witnessing demonstrations of unmanned combat aircraft as part of what observers say signals deepening defense cooperation between the two NATO allies.
The delegation, led by Italian Deputy Defense Minister Matteo Perego di Cremnago, included the commanders of Italy's air force, army, and a deputy naval commander, along with executives from Leonardo, Italy's state-controlled defense giant. Lieutenant General Antonio Conserva, commander of the Italian Air Force, Lieutenant General Carmine Masiello, the army commander, and Vice Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, deputy commander of the navy, were among the senior military officials present.
From Leonardo, Co-Head of Strategy and Innovation Simone Ungaro and Co-Head of Business Development Carlo Gualdaroni joined the visit, alongside commanders from various units across Italy's armed forces.
The visit spanned two locations: a flight training center in Corlu, in Türkiye's Tekirdag province, and Baykar's headquarters at the Ozdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center in Istanbul.
At the Corlu facility, Italian officials observed a coordinated flight demonstration featuring three of Baykar's unmanned platforms: the Bayraktar TB3, the larger Akinci, and the Kizilelma, described by the company as an unmanned fighter aircraft. The TB3 conducted a live-fire exercise using MAM-L smart munitions manufactured by Turkish defense firm ROKETSAN.
The Italian contingent was accompanied by Türkiye's defense industry chief, Prof. Haluk Gorgun, who heads the country's Defense Industry Agency, as well as Baykar Chairman Selcuk Bayraktar and CEO Haluk Bayraktar. Senior Turkish military officials, including Land Forces Commander Gen. Metin Tokel and First Army Commander Gen. Bahtiyar Ersay, also participated.
Following the demonstrations in Corlu, the delegation proceeded to Istanbul, where Selcuk Bayraktar, Haluk Bayraktar, and the company's project managers provided detailed briefings on Baykar's ongoing projects and technological vision for the future. The visit concluded with the delegation's departure from Istanbul.
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