A top Italian government official and the chair of renowned Italian defense firm Leonardo visited Turkish drone maker Baykar's Özdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center in Istanbul on Tuesday.
"We were delighted to host Mr. Adolfo Urso, Italy's Minister of Made in Italy, and Mr. Stefano Pontecorvo, Chairman of Leonardo, at Baykar," said Selçuk Bayraktar, the chairperson and chief technology officer of Baykar, in a post on X.
"The visit is part of a framework of strengthening industrial cooperation between Italy and Turkey in the aerospace sector and follows the (December) acquisition of (Italy’s) Piaggio Aerospace by Baykar. An operation that guarantees a solid future for the Italian company, thanks to the industrial, financial and technological commitments undertaken by the new owner," Urso said in a statement.
He added that Baykar confirmed Piaggio's will to maintain and develop its strategic assets and core activities, protect its business units, and protect the Italian component supply chain.
"The operation not only guarantees industrial continuity but opens new prospects for collaboration between Baykar and Leonardo. The two companies, among the main global players in the aerospace and defense sector, will be able to develop industrial and technological synergies to create advanced systems, with particular attention to the production of drones for the European market," the statement said.
"The recent acquisition of Piaggio Aerospace by Baykar represents a strategic step for the entire sector, paving the way for new collaborations between the major aerospace players. The aim is to enhance our industries' innovation, competitiveness and technological leadership by strengthening production in Italy," said Urso.
Late last year, Turkish defense manufacturer Baykar acquired the Italian company Piaggio Aerospace, and Urso spoke about Baykar's possible future cooperation with Leonardo.
"It was a pleasure and an honor to be with you today," Pontecorvo separately wrote on X.
Earlier during the day, Urso held talks with Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır, evaluating the acquisition of the storied Italian company by Baykar and highlighting the growing trade volume between Italy and Türkiye in recent years.
Following the announcement of the acquisition, the talks over potential collaboration between Baykar and Leonardo have also heightened. Leonardo ranks as the 13th-largest defense company in the world and the second-largest in Europe, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani also visited Baykar recently and has said in an interview that they have "engaged in more technical discussions and we are looking seriously and operationally into the possibility of developing products and technologies."
"With our colleagues at Baykar, we saw that if we do some things together, we can really make a leap forward in unmanned systems and open up new market areas, especially in Europe," he told Anadolu Agency (AA) last month.
"Therefore, this meeting was very important and we agreed to meet again in the coming days. We continue to work very intensively."
When asked whether this could be the first sign of a potential partnership between Leonardo and Baykar, Cingolani responded: "I confirm this, but I cannot say more, for obvious reasons."
He also hailed the Turkish company as "impressive," citing its young workforce, the quality of the campus, R&D and the product portfolio.
"We came across a really impressive company; we were very impressed; the company is definitely at an exceptional level worldwide," he noted.
Baykar has gained prominence worldwide in recent years, primarily with its Bayraktar TB2 drones. It is also the nation's top exporter, accounting for approximately a fourth of the record-breaking $7.2 billion in foreign sales last year.
