Leonardo Plans MUM-T Tests with M-346F and KIZILELMA in 2026
During a press conference, Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani stated that demonstrations for MUM-T with KIZILELMA unmanned fighter will commence in mid-2026.
LBA Systems News
Air
Unmanned Systems
Communication
Air
Bilateral Relations
Unmanned Systems
Leonardo CEO Details Joint Production for Baykar’s UAVs
Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani gave details on the production of Baykar’s TB2, TB3, AKINCI, and KIZILELMA UAVs at three facilities under the LBA Systems JV.
Air
Unmanned Systems
Italy’s €3.2B Drone Plan Hints at Baykar Partnership
Italy’s new air force defence plan allocates €3.2 billion for unmanned systems, with €2.4 billion for armed UAVs that may involve Leonardo-Baykar Aerospace.
Navy / Maritime
Unmanned Systems
Spain Drops F-35B along with Carrier-Based Fighter Plans
Madrid will phase out its AV-8B+ Harrier jets without F-35B replacement, leaving Spain without carrier-based fixed-wing aviation for at least a decade.
Navy / Maritime
Unmanned Systems
Trilateral Cooperation for Bayraktar TB3 UCAV On Horizon
Indonesia’s acquisition of Bayraktar TB3 and the possibility of acquiring the Guiseppe Garibaldi aircraft carrier might bring up a trilateral cooperation.
Navy / Maritime
Air
Unmanned Systems
Sensors
Expo and Air Show
Italian Navy Carriers Prepare for Bayraktar TB3 UCAVs
During the LBA Systems press meeting at the Paris Airshow, Leonardo CEO Cingolani stated that Bayraktar TB3 would be prepared for aircraft carrying ships.
Air
Expo and Air Show
Paris Air Show opens with 2,422 firms from 44 countries
Turkiye joins the Paris Air Show with 12 companies as France, the US and UK lead participation; Israel returns with nine stands while Russia remains absent.
Investment
Leonardo and EDGE Group Sign MoU for Joint Venture
Italian Leonardo and UAE-based EDGE Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding to form a joint venture to cooperate in various areas including air defence.
Unmanned Systems
Expo and Air Show
LBA Systems to Make Its First Appearance in Paris
Leonardo announced that Baykar and Leonardo’s joint venture to specialise in UAVs, LBA Systems, will make its debut during this year’s Salon du Bourget Airshow.
Global Defence Trend Brief
- 09:00 NATO pushes allies to fill US air and naval capability gaps - Washington is pressing European allies and Canada to provide more manned and unmanned aircraft plus...
- 09:00 AI-driven drone swarms rise as a new NATO planning priority - NATO officials are warning that AI-enabled drone swarms could reshape warfare within five years, pus...
- 09:00 Counter-drone demand expands beyond battlefields into critical infrastructure - Growing drone incursions around airports, ports, oil facilities and data centres are accelerating de...
- 09:00 Europe’s loyal wingman race becomes a core airpower trend - Collaborative combat aircraft took centre stage at Berlin Airshow 2026 as European companies and air...
- 09:00 Ukraine’s drone combat know-how is becoming an export asset in Asia - Ukrainian drone firms are marketing battlefield-proven systems and swarm concepts in Japan, Taiwan a...
- 09:00 NATO accelerates live testing of counter-drone technologies - Alliance members and industry partners are expanding field trials of drone detection and interceptio...
- 09:00 Hypersonic threats keep driving demand for persistent tracking networks - The spread of hypersonic weapons continues to push Western defence planners toward integrated radar...
- 09:00 Military space resilience shifts toward larger distributed constellations - Armed forces are increasingly favouring proliferated satellite constellations over a small number of...
- 09:00 Autonomous maritime systems gain importance in surveillance and strike planning - Navies are broadening interest in autonomous surface and underwater systems for persistent ISR, infr...
- 09:00 Industrial surge capacity is becoming a decisive defence metric - Across missiles, drones and air defence, governments are placing more weight on production scalabili...
