ROME

Turkish defense firm Baykar and Italy’s leading aerospace and defense company Leonardo will produce their first medium-sized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), expected to be unveiled in April.

The Turkish-Italian defense partnership has intensified efforts to produce European-made drones.

Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani told Anadolu that the joint venture between Leonardo and Baykar is proceeding according to previously established roadmaps.

Cingolani, speaking on the sidelines of the firm’s investor keynote on Thursday, said the two companies will produce medium-sized drones with a payload capacity of several hundred kilograms at the Ronchi dei Legionari facility in April, while the company prepares production at other sites.

He noted that the drones will be certified in Italy to meet demand from what he described as a “massive market awaiting European-made drones.”

Cingolani stated that Leonardo and Baykar are working in synergy to fill Europe's domestic drone production gap as a “highly complementary collaboration.”

Baykar is building the aerial platform, while Leonardo is developing the intelligence systems and sector-specific technologies for the medium-sized UAVs.

He noted that the jointly produced UAVs could play a role in the “Michelangelo Dome,” announced in November 2025. The air defense system is expected to conduct its first test in Ukraine by the end of the year.

He added that the Leonardo–Baykar drones could be integrated into the air defense shield.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul