Turkish Kızılelma Drone Considered for Role Alongside Italian UK Japanese Sixth-Gen Fighter
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On June 2025, Baykar’s Kızılelma emerged as a top candidate to accompany the sixth-generation GCAP fighter jet, as Leonardo’s CEO Roberto Cingolani confirmed during a press briefing at the Paris Air Show 2025. Italy is actively exploring unmanned wingman options, including the combat-proven Kızılelma and unmanned variants of the M345 and M346. This marks a pivotal step toward integrating Turkish aerospace systems into the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) ecosystem. The growing momentum behind Baykar’s design raises questions about strategic realignments within NATO’s future air combat initiatives.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The selection of Baykar’s Kızılelma as a potential GCAP wingman, confirmed by Leonardo’s CEO at Paris Air Show 2025, cements the UAV’s rising profile in sixth-generation warfare planning (Picture source: Baykar)
The Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), a sixth-generation fighter jet development project led by Italy, the United Kingdom, and Japan, is gradually shaping its unmanned force-multipliers, or “loyal wingmen”, to complement manned operations. Among the options revealed by Leonardo at the Paris Air Show 2025, Baykar’s Kızılelma stands out, alongside potential unmanned variants of the M345 and M346 trainers. Notably, several Turkish defense firms have already confirmed that Kızılelma is expected to operate alongside Türkiye’s future KAAN fighter, making it a seasoned candidate for integration into the GCAP fleet. With a joint venture already established between Leonardo and Baykar under the name LBA Systems, Kızılelma now has both technical and institutional support to enter the GCAP orbit.
In this context, the “wingman” concept refers to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed to operate in coordination with crewed fighter jets. These drones can perform high-risk tasks such as reconnaissance, electronic warfare, decoy deployment, and precision strikes, either autonomously or under the command of a human pilot. By extending the reach and capabilities of the lead aircraft while reducing exposure to threats, wingman drones act as critical enablers in modern networked air combat and are central to the vision of sixth-generation airpower.
Development of the GCAP fighter and its supporting assets has not been without friction. Recent divergences between Italy and the UK over technology sharing and industrial workload distribution have raised uncertainties, potentially opening more room for innovative partners like Türkiye. Kızılelma’s rapid development timeline, leveraging Türkiye’s experience with the Akıncı and Anka-3 UAVs, contrasts with the M345 and M346 drones, which remain conceptual. Italy’s interest in the Turkish platform underlines a shift toward pragmatic collaboration in the face of geopolitical and fiscal pressure.
Technologically, Kızılelma offers clear advantages. It is a stealth-capable UAV optimized for high-speed air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, designed to operate both independently and in tandem with manned aircraft. Unlike unmanned trainers, which require significant redesign for combat tasks, Kızılelma was purpose-built for contested airspace. Its compatibility with a broad range of munitions and sensor packages positions it ahead of the M345/M346 derivatives, whose missions would likely remain limited to ISR or secondary strike roles. The Leonardo–Baykar joint venture, LBA Systems, provides an industrial backbone that could accelerate interoperability testing and mission integration.
Strategically, Kızılelma’s inclusion in GCAP wingman considerations has major implications. It signals a deeper alignment between Türkiye and European defense industries, potentially extending into broader NATO interoperability. With Japan, the UK, and Sweden also involved in GCAP talks, a Turkish platform integrated via Leonardo could act as a bridge between southern NATO and Indo-Pacific stakeholders. Beyond capability, this development also reflects shifting power dynamics within Europe’s defense industrial base, offering a counterweight to French-led initiatives and expanding NATO’s technological sovereignty.
The selection of Baykar’s Kızılelma as a potential GCAP wingman, confirmed by Leonardo’s CEO at Paris Air Show 2025, cements the UAV’s rising profile in sixth-generation warfare planning. More than a technical decision, it illustrates how international partnerships and industrial pragmatism are reshaping the landscape of future air combat. As defense collaboration between Italy and Türkiye deepens through LBA Systems, Kızılelma could soon fly not just beside KAAN, but also next to GCAP fighters, setting a precedent for multinational UAV integration across NATO’s evolving airpower doctrine.
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On June 2025, Baykar’s Kızılelma emerged as a top candidate to accompany the sixth-generation GCAP fighter jet, as Leonardo’s CEO Roberto Cingolani confirmed during a press briefing at the Paris Air Show 2025. Italy is actively exploring unmanned wingman options, including the combat-proven Kızılelma and unmanned variants of the M345 and M346. This marks a pivotal step toward integrating Turkish aerospace systems into the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) ecosystem. The growing momentum behind Baykar’s design raises questions about strategic realignments within NATO’s future air combat initiatives.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The selection of Baykar’s Kızılelma as a potential GCAP wingman, confirmed by Leonardo’s CEO at Paris Air Show 2025, cements the UAV’s rising profile in sixth-generation warfare planning (Picture source: Baykar)
The Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), a sixth-generation fighter jet development project led by Italy, the United Kingdom, and Japan, is gradually shaping its unmanned force-multipliers, or “loyal wingmen”, to complement manned operations. Among the options revealed by Leonardo at the Paris Air Show 2025, Baykar’s Kızılelma stands out, alongside potential unmanned variants of the M345 and M346 trainers. Notably, several Turkish defense firms have already confirmed that Kızılelma is expected to operate alongside Türkiye’s future KAAN fighter, making it a seasoned candidate for integration into the GCAP fleet. With a joint venture already established between Leonardo and Baykar under the name LBA Systems, Kızılelma now has both technical and institutional support to enter the GCAP orbit.
In this context, the “wingman” concept refers to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed to operate in coordination with crewed fighter jets. These drones can perform high-risk tasks such as reconnaissance, electronic warfare, decoy deployment, and precision strikes, either autonomously or under the command of a human pilot. By extending the reach and capabilities of the lead aircraft while reducing exposure to threats, wingman drones act as critical enablers in modern networked air combat and are central to the vision of sixth-generation airpower.
Development of the GCAP fighter and its supporting assets has not been without friction. Recent divergences between Italy and the UK over technology sharing and industrial workload distribution have raised uncertainties, potentially opening more room for innovative partners like Türkiye. Kızılelma’s rapid development timeline, leveraging Türkiye’s experience with the Akıncı and Anka-3 UAVs, contrasts with the M345 and M346 drones, which remain conceptual. Italy’s interest in the Turkish platform underlines a shift toward pragmatic collaboration in the face of geopolitical and fiscal pressure.
Technologically, Kızılelma offers clear advantages. It is a stealth-capable UAV optimized for high-speed air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, designed to operate both independently and in tandem with manned aircraft. Unlike unmanned trainers, which require significant redesign for combat tasks, Kızılelma was purpose-built for contested airspace. Its compatibility with a broad range of munitions and sensor packages positions it ahead of the M345/M346 derivatives, whose missions would likely remain limited to ISR or secondary strike roles. The Leonardo–Baykar joint venture, LBA Systems, provides an industrial backbone that could accelerate interoperability testing and mission integration.
Strategically, Kızılelma’s inclusion in GCAP wingman considerations has major implications. It signals a deeper alignment between Türkiye and European defense industries, potentially extending into broader NATO interoperability. With Japan, the UK, and Sweden also involved in GCAP talks, a Turkish platform integrated via Leonardo could act as a bridge between southern NATO and Indo-Pacific stakeholders. Beyond capability, this development also reflects shifting power dynamics within Europe’s defense industrial base, offering a counterweight to French-led initiatives and expanding NATO’s technological sovereignty.
The selection of Baykar’s Kızılelma as a potential GCAP wingman, confirmed by Leonardo’s CEO at Paris Air Show 2025, cements the UAV’s rising profile in sixth-generation warfare planning. More than a technical decision, it illustrates how international partnerships and industrial pragmatism are reshaping the landscape of future air combat. As defense collaboration between Italy and Türkiye deepens through LBA Systems, Kızılelma could soon fly not just beside KAAN, but also next to GCAP fighters, setting a precedent for multinational UAV integration across NATO’s evolving airpower doctrine.
