Turkey and Italy conduct first autonomous joint flight of manned M‑346 and Bayraktar KIZILELMA

At Baykar’s flight and test centre in Çorlu, Turkey, Leonardo and Baykar carried out the first autonomous formation flight between a manned Leonardo M‑346 jet trainer and the unmanned Bayraktar KIZILELMA combat drone under the K‑SWARM programme. During the test, the M‑346 pilot issued formation commands via a new avionics suite, and KIZILELMA executed the commands autonomously, completing maneuvers such as position changes, separation and re‑joining. Real‑time data exchange between the aircraft was protected by Leonardo’s cyber‑secure monitoring system. The trial validates algorithms for human‑unmanned teaming, aiming to reduce pilot workload and increase mission efficiency, with further, more complex scenario tests planned.

The collaboration showcases advances in artificial‑intelligence‑driven autonomy and highlights the growing interoperability between Turkish and Italian defence industries.