ISTANBUL 

Türkiye’s leading drone producer Baykar Technologies and Italian defense giant Leonardo signed a partnership agreement Thursday in unmanned technologies.

The agreement was signed by Leonardo’s CEO Roberto Cingolani, Baykar’s Chairman Selcuk Bayraktar and CEO Haluk Bayraktar at Leonardo headquarters in Rome.

“We have been in intensive negotiations for months. We were already working with Leonardo and there are systems we have integrated,” said Selcuk Bayraktar.

“We were already cooperating and the chemistry and synergy have developed in a fascinating way in recent months,” he noted.

Stressing that the two companies have complementary features, Selcuk Bayraktar said: “We can make the best systems together. We thank them for their cooperation, we are very happy to start this journey.”

“Today is a very important day as we are signing a memorandum of understanding with Baykar. We have identified important cornerstones with our colleagues from Baykar,” said Cingolani.

Stating that they are going through a complex period, Cingolani said the agreement is a product of their intensive work in the last five months.

“This is a great result,” Cingoloni said, noting that the agreement is for five years but envisages a deeper cooperation.

Cingolani also stated that he was very impressed by his visit to Baykar facilities in Istanbul, adding that Baykar has a very wide product family in UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles).

Technology gap in Europe

Stating that there is a technology gap in Europe, Cingolani emphasized the importance of ensuring global security.

He drew attention to the synergy between the two technology companies and said the combined use of Baykar and Leonardo’s technologies will contribute to the defense of Italy and Europe.

“This also paves the way for easier certification of those machines because producing in a (EU) member state helps certification in Europe, which is an extra opportunity we have together,” Cingolani said, adding that they will increase production volume by producing in both Italy and Türkiye.

 ‘A 20-year dream’

Pointing out that unmanned combat aircraft are “the technology of the future,” Selcuk Bayraktar said the development of these vehicles was “a 20-year dream.”

He noted that Türkiye’s first unmanned combat aircraft, the Bayraktar Kizilelma, made its first flight in 2022, Bayraktar spoke about how unmanned combat aircraft are now “much more effective.”

Bayraktar emphasized how computers outperform humans in many aspects, including in fighter jets.

He noted that training pilots is a significant challenge, pointing out the risks involved in a pilot being in a high-performance fighter jet.

Highlighting the advantage of computers’ superior computing power, Bayraktar said: “Just as a machine can sew much faster than a human, computers excel at calculations. They have no emotions, consciousness, creativity, or judgment — but they are far better at computation.”

Bayraktar also spoke about the Global Air Combat Programme (GCAP), saying they are also open to supplying the project.

Export decisions to be taken jointly

Noting that both Türkiye and Italy have their own distinct export policies, Haluk Bayraktar said they export to a total of 36 countries.

Bayraktar said: “We will jointly decide to whom we will export. Our authorities, the approvals we receive and our consultations will also be in effect.”

He also noted: “Every country and every defense manufacturer applies to its own authority and receives approval. However, right now, after this partnership, we are going for a new shaping. So this is a decision to be taken together.”

‘The largest in Europe’

Noting that the partnership agreement with Leonardo has three aspects, Bayraktar said that these are armed surveillance drones, mobile munitions and, in the future, unmanned aerial vehicles.

Pointing out that the changing trends in the field of technology made it necessary to conclude this partnership agreement, Bayraktar said that this agreement is currently the “largest” in Europe.

‘Europe must come together’

Leonardo’s Chief Executive Roberto Cingolani said that the GCAP is “an interesting topic.”

“On the other hand, the first prototypes will be built in 2035, and we are now in 2025. You need to know what kind of machine is needed to be able to say that (the vehicles) will serve another system. It is too early to say that.”

Noting that exports are a “very sensitive” issue, Cingolani said: “There are very strict rules (in exports). So much so that even a small part in a large aircraft can prevent the sale of the aircraft.”

When asked whether he foresees unlimited sales due to the increase in defense spending in the world, Cingolani said: “If you have unlimited growth, you will have to make unlimited shipments and this worries me.”

Referring to global problems, especially the Russia-Ukraine war, Cingolani said: “We need to create alliances as big industries to help this process, because without big industries Europe is very fragmented. No one in Europe can do it alone, because even though we are developed and we have good universities, countries cannot do it alone. That’s why we need to come together.”

’20 years ago, no one knew the word UAV’

Selcuk Bayraktar stated that he worked on flight formations of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) while studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and said that 20 years ago, “I demonstrated formation flights with UAVs, no one in the world knew the word UAV, and drones did not exist 20 years ago. Then, in 2004, we moved Baykar in this direction, in other words, we worked on the technological direction of the future.”

Bayraktar explained that the Italian aviation company Piaggio, which was acquired by Baykar, is planned to be included in the production process of UAVs due to its “capacity and experience”.

He said that when one looks at the defense industry world, one sees “large organizations with too many walls, status quo, and very low energy levels,” and added that the reason why they entered into this partnership with Leonardo is that they are similar to them in terms of team and understanding.

Additionally, production will be carried out in Türkiye and Italy under the partnership of the two companies.

Baykar and Leonardo expect the unmanned aerial vehicles market in Europe to reach $100 billion in the next 10 years.

The producer of prominent unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci, Baykar Technologies, has been widening its cooperation network in Italy.

Baykar acquired Italian aerospace giant Piaggio in December and Italy’s Made in Italy Ministry had hinted at Leonardo’s possible cooperation with Baykar.