Türkiye’s Baykar, Italy’s Leonardo partnership unveils new era in European drone industry

As Europe races to develop its own military drone capabilities, an unlikely collaboration between Turkish and Italian defense giants could reshape the continent’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landscape.
The January meeting between Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani and Baykar Chairman Selcuk Bayraktar in Istanbul sets a potentially groundbreaking partnership that could accelerate European drone development.

The timing is particularly significant as the European consortium’s flagship Eurodrone project, under development since 2015, struggles to meet its 2027 maiden flight deadline.
“Leonardo’s product portfolio, what we call ‘payload,’ that is, the electronic systems and sensor systems on the aircraft, can be very well compatible with the UAVs produced by Baykar,” Cingolani told Türkiye’s Anadolu Agency (AA).
Defense giants eye collaboration in unmanned systems
The potential collaboration brings together two complementary forces in defense technology. Leonardo, ranked as the world’s 13th-largest defense firm by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, could provide sophisticated sensors and radar systems for Baykar’s proven drone platforms.

Meanwhile, Baykar, which has transformed from a UAV manufacturer into Türkiye’s largest defense exporter, brings crucial expertise in drone development and deployment.
Baykar’s drone portfolio includes the combat-proven TB-2, its aircraft carrier variant TB-3, and the twin-engine turboprop Akinci, which has secured exports to Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The company is also developing what it bills as the world’s first unmanned jet fighter, the Kizilelma.
Analysts see Türkiye’s growing role in NATO’s future
The Turkish-Italian defense collaboration reflects a broader strategic shift in European security dynamics, according to Riccardo Gasco, Foreign Policy Program coordinator at the Istanbul-based think tank IstanPol.
Speaking to Al-Monitor, Gasco emphasized that European nations increasingly view Türkiye as a crucial partner in building a new European security architecture, a perspective that has gained momentum since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and recent developments in Syria.

“A military-industrial partnership could work in the direction of increasing European military capabilities, proving a crucial step in light of Donald Trump’s declared intention to cut US support for NATO,” Gasco told Al-Monitor.
However, he cautioned that despite improving Ankara-Rome relations under Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Italy might lack the diplomatic influence needed to convince EU powerhouses France and Germany to adopt a more strategic approach toward Türkiye.
While political and government circles often take a pragmatic view toward increasing bilateral collaboration, Gasco noted that Türkiye’s human rights record continues to affect Italian public perception.
“The recent uptick in authoritarian practices of the Turkish government [could] bring the focus back to the rule of law,” he said, referencing recent arrests of opposition politicians and journalists in Türkiye.
Turkish drone expertise could accelerate European defense projects
The Turkish manufacturer’s December acquisition of Italy’s Piaggio Aerospace for an estimated 100 million euros further cements this emerging partnership.

Aviation expert Tolga Ozbek suggests the acquisition could enable Baykar to leverage Piaggio’s Hammerhead UAV, based on the P.180 design, to develop unmanned maritime patrol aircraft.
For the European defense industry, this Turkish-Italian cooperation could provide crucial momentum for the Eurodrone project, a joint venture between Leonardo, Airbus, and Dassault Aviation that has faced significant delays. According to Ozbek, Leonardo might specifically seek Baykar’s expertise to advance the project.