Leonardo to Use Turkish Kizilelma UCAV as Loyal Wingman for Sixth-gen Fighter Project

Italy’s Leonardo a key developer of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), today announced a partnership with Turkish firm Baykar in which the latter’s Kizilelma unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) could become a loyal wingman to the European sixth-generation fighter.

Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani said this while announcing plans for a JV with Baykar in Rome Today. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding which will facilitate a strategic partnership to develop unmanned aerial systems.

This collaboration aims to combine Baykar's expertise in combat drones and AI with Leonardo's capabilities in mission systems and certification. The joint venture is set to establish production facilities in both Italy and Turkey, targeting the European market, which is estimated to be worth $100 billion over the next decade.

The partnership is expected to influence major European defense projects like the Eurodrone and the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), potentially filling gaps in Europe's defense technology landscape. Key platforms like Baykar's Akinci and Kizilelma UCAVs are highlighted as central to this venture, aiming to enhance Europe's capabilities in unmanned technologies.

The GCAP partnership which includes Leonardo, BAE Systems and Japan’s Mitsubishi is in the race to develop a sixth generation fighter one of whose key elements is manned-unmanned teaming. A drone armed with missiles and bombs will take orders from the fighter jet. So far, an appropriate drone was missing from the GCAP program which is expected to be filled in by the Turkish UCAV.