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England, July 21, 2026 , Leonardo and Baykar have declared their LBA Systems joint venture fully operational at the Farnborough International Airshow, marking the formal entry of an Italian-headquartered drone company backed by one of Europe's largest defense electronics firms and Türkiye's leading unmanned systems manufacturer.
The 50-50 partnership has secured its regulatory authorizations, appointed a company lead, and is already manufacturing its first product, the Astore Levante naval drone, with deliveries to an Italian end-user expected before the end of the year.
LBA Systems launches with six platforms already in its portfolio, ranging from the 80-kilogram KALKAN, designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, to the KIZILELMA unmanned combat fighter jet.
Between those two ends of the spectrum sit two variants of the TB2 Medium Altitude Long Endurance drone, the AKINCI High Altitude Long Endurance platform, and the Astore Levante, a naval variant capable of operating from short-runway aircraft carriers.
The debut product on display at Farnborough, the Astore Levante, pairs Baykar's Bayraktar TB3 airframe with Leonardo's sensors, mission systems and ground control station technology.
Manufacturing of an initial batch is already underway at Leonardo's production sites in Italy.
Work on the TB2 and AKINCI platforms will be conducted at Baykar's own facility in Italy.
The KIZILELMA fighter drew particular attention in the joint announcement.
Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar pointed to the aircraft's recent close air combat teaming tests, known as CUC-T, conducted alongside Leonardo's M-346 light fighter jet as evidence of its battlefield maturity, describing the results as "a direct response to the demanding operational requirements of the battlefield" and saying the systems meet NATO standards.
Leonardo CEO Lorenzo Mariani framed the venture in broader strategic terms, describing LBA Systems as embodying priorities central to Leonardo's corporate direction, including "execution and production acceleration" and building "the critical mass required to respond to the European and global markets evolving demand."
The joint venture is legally and operationally headquartered in Italy, a deliberate positioning that combines Leonardo's established credentials in European Union certification and regulatory approval processes with Baykar's manufacturing scale and autonomous systems architecture.
Leonardo has created a dedicated Unmanned Business Unit within its Aeronautics Division to coordinate the partnership's industrial and commercial activities.
LBA Systems will pursue both European and international contracts, with a stated focus on co-developing next-generation systems incorporating artificial intelligence, cyber resilience and multi-domain interoperability.
Bayraktar described the venture as "a strategic step that will strengthen the defense industrial base of both Europe and allied nations."
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