Aviacionline
• Gastón Dubois
Baykar has flight-tested five K2 loitering munitions flying coordinated, AI-enabled autonomous formations over the Gulf of Saros, demonstrating swarm strike capability. Marketed as a low-cost, long-range 'one‑way' attack drone for contested environments, the K2 is aimed at massed fielding and export.
Bayraktar
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Airbus Defence and Space and Landing Zones signed a strategic partnership for advanced uncrewed aerial systems in Canada. Leonardo’s LBA Systems joint venture with Baykar has reached full operational readiness, establishing a European base for AI-enabled UAS, carrier-capable drones and crewed-uncrewed teaming. Separate Airbus hybrid-electric progress via the LEIA project and Leonardo’s aerostructures JV moving final sign-off to year-end highlight shifting timelines.
Italy’s government has given conditional approval to a joint venture between state-controlled defense group Leonardo and Turkey’s Baykar to produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to a Reuters source. The decision sets the framework for local production as both firms pursue the JV’s next steps.
Baykar has finalized its first export agreement for the jet-powered Kizilelma unmanned combat aircraft with Indonesia’s Republikorp, covering deliveries of 12 UCAVs beginning in 2028 and options for 36 additional airframes (48 total). The deal follows Baykar’s Kizilelma export bid and its public display of the full-scale model at SAHA 2026.
SAHA EXPO 2026 opens in Istanbul as a “global meeting point” for the defense and aerospace industry, with organizers calling it Europe’s largest event. Participating firms including Baykar and EDGE Group plan to showcase next-generation unmanned platforms, munitions and multi-domain defense systems.
Baykar says its newly unveiled K2 kamikaze drone—designed around AI and swarming—fits within the company’s “cost-effective defense solutions” strategy. The K2 is positioned as a mid-range, battlefield-focused uncrewed system, drawing on lessons from early Ukraine-conflict drone performance.
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Baykar has flight-tested five K2 loitering munitions flying coordinated, AI-enabled autonomous formations over the Gulf of Saros, demonstrating swarm strike capability. Marketed as a low-cost, long-range 'one‑way' attack drone for contested environments, the K2 is aimed at massed fielding and export.
Turkey’s Bayraktar TB3 UCAV performed autonomous short‑deck launches from TCG Anadolu and executed live naval strikes with MAM‑L munitions during NATO’s Steadfast Dart 2026. The sortie — the TB3’s first overseas operational demo — highlights shipboard strike capability and reported export interest, including Indonesia’s plan for 60.
After acquiring Piaggio Aerospace, Baykar plans a five- to six-fold expansion of P.180 Avanti production—targeting roughly 30 aircraft per year—while strengthening MRO and engine capabilities and developing an upgraded Avanti variant as it seeks a larger US presence.
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