Leonardo and Baykar will form LBA Systems, a joint venture to manufacture five uncrewed air vehicles — including Baykar's Kizilelma uncrewed fighter — across three Italian sites, Leonardo chief executive Roberto Cingoliani disclosed. The planned JV will produce the Kizilelma and four other UAV types in Italy.
Discovered |
Briefing
The JV moves production of Baykar's Kizilelma and four other UAV types into Italy, marking a transfer of Turkish-designed combat UCAV manufacturing to a European industrial footprint; this affects industrial capacity and supply-chain planning for combat UAS.
The agreement expands the field of uncrewed combat and "loyal-wingman" contenders and will influence procurement and partnership choices alongside other multinational and commercial UAS efforts, building on recent activity around weapons integration for Kizilelma and broader unmanneddrone integration debates (see recent reporting on Turkey's missile tests and GCAP unmanned integration discussions: https://hype.aero/?story=9e5c9674-b52f-454e-9610-2594e7b21146, https://hype.aero/?story=9db3d5df-c504-40cd-b791-a6d77425c9e1).
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(TR) 3 or 4 Baykar UAVs will be produced in Italy! • ns1.haber.aero
(EL) Leonardo’s role in Baykar’s Kizilelma fighter program • flight.com.gr
(TR) Akıncı, Kızılelma and TB3 UAVs to be produced in Italy • airporthaber2.com
FlightGlobal
• Dominic Perry