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The joint venture "LBA Systems," announced yesterday at the 55th Paris Air Show between Türkiye's leading unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer, Baykar, and Italian Leonardo, one of Europe's largest defense companies, was covered in the Italian press.
The country's high-circulation newspaper, Corriere della Sera, reported under the headline "Leonardo's drone agreement with Turkish Baykar" that the two companies, which signed a memorandum of understanding in March, established the joint venture called LBA System with a 50% partnership yesterday and that Leonardo and Baykar came together to produce drones in Italy.
The newspaper reported that LBA Systems' mission will be to design, develop and produce "remotely controlled aircraft systems"; Baykar will supply basic products, including TB3 and Akinci drones, while Leonardo will be responsible for equipping the drones with electronic systems that will enable them to cooperate with each other and with pilots in aircraft.
The report included Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani's statement: "The plan is to start deliveries in 2026."
The leading economic newspaper "Il Sole 24 Ore" reported under the headline "Equal joint venture LBA System from Leonardo and Baykar": "There will be a 50/50 joint venture between Leonardo and Turkish partner Baykar in the new company called LBA Systems, which will be headquartered in Italy."
"The two companies, which signed a memorandum of understanding in Rome at the beginning of March, used the Le Bourget aviation fair in Paris as an opportunity to sign and present the strategic alliance for the development of technologies for remotely controlled systems from new drone design, development, and production," the report noted.
The report stated that the new joint venture focuses on Leonardo providing next-generation electronic and payload systems, electronics, sensors, cameras, and technology, and combining this with advanced drones produced by Baykar to design and develop new unmanned platforms with next-generation technologies.
"The project strengthens Leonardo's role in the drone sector while also consolidating Baykar's position in the European market," the report said.
The Il Messaggero newspaper reported under the headline "Leonardo and Baykar's super smart drone project begins": "The first drones developed within the scope of Leonardo-Baykar technological cooperation will be ready in 2026."
"The certificate of this driving move towards the most advanced frontier of European defense comes from Paris, from the Le Bourget aviation fair. The Italian-Turkish joint venture LBA Systems, officially announced yesterday, marks a new era in this sense," the report noted.
The report also noted that Baykar Chairman and Technology Leader Selcuk Bayraktar evaluated this cooperation as "a catalyst for the future."
The joint venture will be led by Francesco Sabatini from Leonardo as CEO and Haluk Bayraktar from the Turkish side as chairman.
The new joint venture will focus on Leonardo providing next-generation electronic and payload systems, electronics, sensors, cameras, and cutting-edge technology combined with advanced drones that Baykar produces, concentrating on designing and developing new unmanned platforms.
Activities of the joint venture will involve various Leonardo facilities. Selected sites include Ronchi dei Legionari for aerospace component manufacturing, Turin for engineering and certification activities, Rome for electronic component production, and Grottaglie for advanced composite materials production.
"Together with Leonardo, we are building a new generation of unmanned, intelligent systems designed with interoperability in mind," explained Selcuk Bayraktar, president and chief technology officer of Baykar Technologies, present in Paris.
"In an increasingly complex world, this alliance will be able to offer global security supported by artificial intelligence and up to the challenges of the future," he added.
The Baykar president confirmed synergies with Piaggio Aero, acquired by the Turks in recent months: "Synergies are possible, and we are already working at the Albenga production site." The advanced Bayraktar TB3 drone will be produced here.
Italian Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy Alfonso Urso expressed satisfaction with the economic impact of the agreement: "The agreement not only in the production platform that Baykar will realize in Piaggio Aerospace, but in general between two important global actors, seems interesting for our country and for the impact on other production sites."
"With this agreement, Italy will be at the center of drone production development for the European market and beyond," Urso said.
With the Italian partner, Baykar aims to obtain certification for its drones to access the global market, including unmanned fighters, armed surveillance drones, and deep attack drones, estimated at $100 billion over the next 10 years.
Teams from Leonardo and Baykar are already working, and the joint venture plans to begin first deliveries by 2026.
At Leonardo's chalet, Bayraktar Akinci and Bayraktar TB3 drones are displayed for the first time.
The first has a high payload capacity for long-range missions. The Bayraktar TB3 is the world's first drone capable of taking off and landing on ships with short runways.
Also present is the high-precision Kemankes 1 missile, powered by artificial intelligence and with an operational range of over 200 kilometers.
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