Italy’s Leonardo is close to agreeing a production partnership with Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar, which is co-owned by Selçuk Bayraktar, the son-in-law of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
People with knowledge of the discussions said the two companies are set to sign a memorandum of understanding as soon as next week shaping the terms of a joint venture that could significantly boost Europe’s drone production capabilities. Baykar is one of the world’s leaders in artificial intelligence-enabled drone manufacturing.
Leonardo is part of a trio of defence champions, alongside Britain’s BAE Systems and Japan’s JAIEC, involved in the development of a next-generation fighter jet under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). JAIEC is jointly funded by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies.