Leonardo and Baykar Technologies are to establish a joint venture focussed on the development of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) integrated with the Italian company’s defence electronics payloads, with the latter’s 6t-class Akinci platform likely to be the first product offered to the market.
Building on an existing collaboration where Leonardo is “kind of the supply chain for Baykar”, the new Italy-based venture will target a European market forecast to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade, says Leonardo chief executive Roberto Cingolani.
Although the two businesses are still “developing the business model which means a roadmap for production, timing and so on”, he estimates that within six months “we’ll be merging the technologies”, leading to the arrival of the “first Akinci” through the joint venture 12-18 months later.
“Let’s say one year from now we should be prototyping the object,” he adds. The Akinci offers a payload of around 1.5t and can be integrated with a variety of sensor and weapons payloads.
Cingolani says so far no orders have been placed with the joint venture but “preliminary meetings” have been held with Italy’s ministry of defence.
Production of the aircraft will likely take place at Baykar’s existing plant in Istanbul, with Leonardo’s multiple sites across Italy offering room for expansion.
Additionally, Italian firm Piaggio Aero, which Baykar is in the process of acquiring, could also form part of the production offering.
Baykar chief technology officer Selcuk Bayraktar insists the formation of the joint venture was unrelated to the Piaggio purchase but says the company is part of its plan for drone production “because it has capacity and experience”.
Discussions related to the location for systems integration are ongoing, says Baykar chief executive Haluk Bayraktar.
The joint venture’s initial focus will be on armed surveillance UAVs and loitering munitions, but “then in the future the age of the armed fighters is coming”, he adds.
Baykar has already developed the jet-powered Kizilelma unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) – an 8.5t maximum take-off weight aircraft with a 500nm (926km) range.
Leonardo is part of the Global Combat Aircraft Programme (GCAP), a tri-national effort involving Italy, Japan and the UK to develop a sixth-generation fighter and accompanying unmanned platforms.
In theory, a UCAV derived from the Kizilelma could offer a potential solution for the latter requirement, but with no agreement yet on the size or capabilities of such an aircraft, Cingolani says it is “too early” to speculate on whether the JV could contribute.
Additionally, he says Leonardo will continue its work on the EuroDrone programme for France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
The 12t EuroDrone has a “very specific application and mission” for its four partner nations.
“We are committed and will continue the programme. It goes along the workload we already agreed but the rest [of the market] is immense. They are absolutely compatible,” he says.
Despite viewing the EuroDrone as “good programme”, its development alone is “not enough to guarantee the drone competitiveness of the continent”.
“I think drones is one of the areas where Europe should be stronger and safer and I think we should make the right alliances to find a shortcut because we have lost a lot of time.”
