Baykar-Leonardo Joint Agreement on Unmanned Technologies

The Baykar-Leonardo Partnership Agreement in Unmanned Technologies is a cooperation agreement signed on 6 March 2025 between Baykar, a company linked to leader, and Leonardo, a company associated with Europe through defense industry.

Agreement aims to enable the two companies to produce SİHA in Italy by combining Baykar’s advanced technologies in unmanned aerial vehicles and artificial intelligence with Leonardo’s expertise in mission systems, payloads, and certification, and to extend this collaboration to space initiatives.

Signing of the Agreement and Parties

The agreement was signed on 6 March 2025 during a ceremony held at Leonardo’s headquarters in Rome. Attendees included Baykar Board Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar, Baykar General Manager Haluk Bayraktar, and Leonardo CEO and General Manager Roberto Cingolani. Italy’s Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto also place the signing ceremony. The memorandum of understanding for the joint venture was signed by Baykar Board Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar and Leonardo CEO and General Manager Roberto Cingolani.

The agreement envisions a long-term collaboration between Baykar and Leonardo in the development, production, maintenance, and operational integration of unmanned aerial systems. It also aims to foster joint efforts in space technologies and integrated mission systems.

Scope of the Agreement 

The areas to be covered under the joint venture include:

• Development and production of UAVs and unmanned war aircraft.
• R&D activities in defense, aerospace and space technologies.
• Joint projects in C4I (Command Control Communications Computers and Intelligence) and integrated mission systems on.
• Cooperation in space equipment and services.

Production and Development Process

The joint venture will operate across multiple Leonardo facilities in different regions. The centers involved in production and development are:

• Ronchi dei Legionari: This center, specialized by Leonardo in unmanned platforms, will serve as the primary hub for the joint venture.
• Torino: Will be used as one of the production facilities.
• Roma Tiburtina: Activities will be conducted here for the development of integrated multi-domain technologies.
• Nerviano: Solutions for the space sector will be developed here.

Industrial and Technological Significance

Türkiye Republic Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır evaluated the agreement by stating, “The collaboration between our leading aerospace companies, Baykar and Leonardo, in UAV technologies will make a critical contribution to Europe’s defense industry self-reliance. In the coming decade, when unmanned systems will dominate aviation, Türkiye and Italy will achieve major accomplishments. The steps taken today will be followed by new industrial and technological partnerships in the future.”

The partnership agreement has been structured based on projections that the European market for unmanned aerial vehicles will reach a value of 10 billion dollars within the next ten years.