Leonardo and Baykar Move Crewed-Uncrewed Teaming From Simulation to Flight

June 25, 2026

Leonardo and Baykar have completed the first live flight phase of their K-SWARM program, moving a key crewed-uncrewed teaming effort from simulation into real-world testing and underscoring how rapidly collaborative combat aircraft concepts are becoming a practical focus for military aviation.

Conducted in May at Baykar’s flight and test center in Çorlu, Türkiye, the trials paired Leonardo M-346 aircraft with Baykar’s Bayraktar KIZILELMA uncrewed fighter aircraft. The flight campaign involved a Leonardo-owned M-346 Fighter Attack variant, an Italian Air Force T-346A acting as a chase aircraft, and the KIZILELMA platform operating in coordinated autonomous formation flights.

The test activity was designed to validate interoperability between crewed and uncrewed aircraft, with the companies assessing advanced algorithms, tactics, and procedures developed by Leonardo and integrated with Baykar autonomy capabilities. According to the companies, the work marked a transition from digital engineering and simulator-based preparation to live operations, a step that is central to proving whether future collaborative air combat concepts can function outside controlled laboratory environments.

During the campaign, the KIZILELMA performed autonomous taxi and takeoff before rejoining the M-346 Fighter Attack aircraft using Baykar’s Smart Fleet Autonomy algorithms. Once in formation, the M-346 was able to assume control of the uncrewed aircraft and direct maneuvers that included changes in position, separation, and rejoining. An advanced radio frequency data exchange system enabled the aircraft to share and synchronize data, with Leonardo’s GCC Tactical Platform providing real-time protection and monitoring for command-and-control functions.

For the aerospace and defense industry, the significance of the K-SWARM trials lies less in a single flight event than in what the demonstration suggests about future force design. Crewed-uncrewed teaming is increasingly viewed as an enabler for next-generation air operations, allowing piloted aircraft to coordinate with autonomous systems that can extend sensor reach, distribute mission tasks, and reduce risk to aircrews in complex operational environments.

The demonstration also highlights the industrial importance of combining aircraft, autonomy software, secure data exchange, and mission-system integration into a working architecture. Leonardo’s work through its Avionic and Flight Control Innovation Labs and PC2LAB in Turin, combined with Baykar’s hardware-in-the-loop autonomy development, points to the kind of cross-company engineering model likely to define future collaborative combat aircraft programs.

As air forces evaluate how current-generation fighters, advanced trainers, and future combat aircraft may operate alongside autonomous systems, live demonstrations such as K-SWARM provide a practical benchmark. By showing an M-346 commanding a KIZILELMA in coordinated flight, Leonardo and Baykar have added momentum to the broader industry shift toward human-machine teaming as a core element of future air combat capability.

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