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Italy's Defense Ministry allocated €2.4 billion ($2.7 billion) for an Italian Air Force UAV program under its 2025-2027 Multi-Year Programming Document, as a high-level Italian military and defense industry delegation recently visited Baykar facilities in Tekirdag and Istanbul.
The program is expected to include new models developed by LBA Systems, the joint venture between Leonardo and Baykar, according to defense analyst Tommaso Massa writing in Rivista Italiana Difesa (RID).
Italy Deputy Defense Minister Matteo Perego di Cremnago led the delegation, which included Italian Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Antonio Conserva, Italian Army Commander Lt. Gen. Carmine Masiello and Italian Navy Deputy Commander Vice Adm. Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto.
Leonardo Strategy and Innovation Co-Chairman Simone Ungaro and Business Development Co-Chairman Carlo Gualdaroni also participated in the visit, according to a Baykar statement.
The financial plan allocates €242 million for 2025, €154 million for 2026 and €276 million for 2027, according to the 2025–2027 Documento Programmatico Pluriennale (DPP).
The subsequent three-year period from 2028-2030 forecasts €740.4 million, with just over €1 billion projected for 2031-2036.
The program previously appeared in the earlier Multi-Year Programming Document, with only €71 million allocated. The new document does not indicate any "necessary complementary funds," while the referenced ministerial decree points to the procurement program for four ASTORE-type UAVs developed by Leonardo, according to RID.
The document states these unmanned aerial vehicles will have "kinetic capability," meaning they will be armed platforms. They will be used "in the very short term as capability enhancers to implement and test a new Command and Control architecture," according to the document.
Given the high budget allocation, the program is likely to cover the procurement of different types of unmanned aerial vehicles, according to defense analysts.
This is expected to include new models developed by LBA (Leonardo Baykar Aerospace) Systems, the joint venture between Leonardo and Baykar.
Italy's Multi-Year Defense Programming Document for 2025-2027 allocates €3.2 billion to unmanned systems development and acquisition, with 93% for air systems (€2.9 billion) and 7% for maritime systems, according to Massa's analysis in RID.
The delegation's first stop was Baykar's Akinci Flight Training and Test Center in Tekirdag's Corlu district, where a special flight demonstration was organized for the guests.
The demonstration included flights by the Bayraktar TB3 UAV, Bayraktar Akinci UCAV and Bayraktar Kizilelma unmanned combat aircraft. During the demonstration, the Bayraktar TB3 UAV conducted a successful firing demonstration with MAM-L munitions produced by Roketsan.
The Italian delegation was hosted by Baykar Chairman Selcuk Bayraktar and Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar, along with Presidency of Defense Industries Chairman Haluk Gorgun, Land Forces Commander Gen. Metin Tokel, First Army Commander Gen. Bahtiyar Ersay and Roketsan CEO Murat İkinci, according to the Baykar statement.
Following the Corlu visit, the Italian delegation proceeded to Baykar's main campus in Istanbul, the Ozdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center.
Selcuk Bayraktar, Haluk Bayraktar and Baykar project managers provided the delegation with a comprehensive briefing on ongoing projects and the company's future technological vision.
The visit concluded with presentations and discussions before the delegation's departure from Istanbul.
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