LBA Systems
Joint venture between Leonardo and Baykar productionising the Astore Levante combat drone.
Last refreshed: 24 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
A Turkish combat drone is now built on Italian lines; what does LBA Systems change about who arms Europe?
Timeline for LBA Systems
Unveiled Astore Levante and declared itself fully operational
Drones: Industry & Defence: Leonardo, Baykar put TB3 on Italian linesBackground
LBA Systems, a joint venture owned by Leonardo and Baykar, unveiled the Bayraktar TB3-derived Astore Levante combat drone at Farnborough on 22 July 2026 and declared the venture fully operational. The aircraft mates Baykar's combat-proven TB3 airframe with Leonardo sensors, mission systems and ground control, and will be built through Leonardo's own production lines.
Leonardo and Baykar chose neither an in-house build nor a straight licence: the cross-border joint venture takes an airframe that is already flying and puts a European industrial base under it. Baykar has spent 2026 turning its drone line into exports, closing its first Kizilelma jet-drone sale to Indonesia in May; the Leonardo tie-up hands the same portfolio a Western manufacturing home and a route into NATO buyers Ankara alone could not reach.
The venture puts a Turkish-designed combat-proven airframe (TB3) into Italian production for the first time, arriving in the same Farnborough week as Britain's Brontanax and Anduril and Archer's Thunder.