At a ceremony held in the presence of President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Meloni, the documents of the agreement signed in March — which foresees joint UAV production in Italy— were officially exchanged.
Rome
25 April 2025
The strategic cooperation agreement signed in March between Baykar, the leading company in the global UCAV market, and Leonardo, one of the world’s largest defense companies, was officially exchanged today at a ceremony held as part of the 4th Türkiye-Italy Intergovernmental Summit in Rome. The ceremony at Villa Pamphili Residence took place in the presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
AGREEMENT DOCUMENTS EXCHANGED
At the ceremony, the agreement documents concerning the memorandum of understanding signed on March 6, 2025, in Rome — aimed at combining the two companies’ capabilities in high technology — were mutually exchanged by Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar and Leonardo CEO and General Manager Roberto Cingolani.
EXPANSION INTO THE EUROPEAN MARKET
The agreement, signed last month and officially exchanged today, brings together Baykar’s battle-proven unmanned platforms and superiority in artificial intelligence technologies with Leonardo’s expertise in mission systems, payload design, and European aviation certifications. The joint venture to be established by Baykar and Leonardo aims to seize opportunities in the European unmanned aerial vehicle market.
STRATEGIC SYNERGY IN TECHNOLOGY
The strategic cooperation between the two companies covers not only unmanned aerial vehicles but also areas such as electronic systems, payloads, C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence), artificial intelligence, and integrated mission systems. Baykar and Leonardo aim to create synergy in European and international markets by ensuring the seamless integration of multi-domain ecosystems. The joint venture is poised to operate at several facilities across Italy –Ronchi dei Legionari, Torino, Roma Tiburtina, and Nerviano.
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Bayraktar KIZILELMA, Türkiye’s first-ever unmanned fighter jet, developed indigenously and originally by Baykar, successfully completed the Aerodynamics System Identification Test in accordance with its test schedule.
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