BAE Systems And Turkish Aerospace Join Forces To Develop Next‑Gen Joint Drones For NATO
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BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace signed an MoU on November 6, 2025, to jointly develop advanced uncrewed air systems for NATO operations. The partnership aims to merge British combat-air integration with Turkish drone manufacturing strengths to expand capability and reduce costs across allied fleets.
On 6 November 2025, BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace announced a memorandum of understanding to explore joint development of uncrewed air systems. The move lands at a time when Europe is racing to secure scalable, interoperable drones for deterrence, crisis response, and coalition operations. Beyond a simple cooperation note, the MoU signals industrial alignment between a UK combat-air integrator and a fast-growing Turkish UAS manufacturer, an alignment that could alter the balance of cost, certification, and export access across the European and wider NATO markets.
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BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace signed an MoU to jointly develop advanced uncrewed air systems, combining UK combat‑air integration with Turkish drone expertise to strengthen NATO operations (Picture Source: BAE Systems / TAI)
The agreement frames a strategic alliance between BAE Systems’ FalconWorks and Turkish Aerospace to identify and pursue common UAS opportunities. Each side brings complementary strengths: BAE contributes systems engineering depth, mission-system integration and certification routes proven across complex air programs; Turkish Aerospace adds a rapid product pipeline and established manufacturing for MALE and next-generation UCAV designs. The press release describes this as the start of a “deep and meaningful” alliance intended to combine portfolios into cost-effective solutions, a signal that the partners are aiming at families of platforms rather than a single niche project.
Both companies arrive with deep UAS ecosystems. On the UK side, FalconWorks’ portfolio spans high-altitude platforms and autonomy, exemplified by PHASA-35, a solar-electric stratospheric HAPS built for months-long ISR and communications relay, which has advanced through successive flight trials. BAE’s earlier Taranis stealth UCAV demonstrator also proved core low-observable design and autonomous mission-system integration that remains directly relevant to attritable adjunct roles. On the Turkish side, the Anka MALE family and the twin-engine Aksungur (Anka-2) deliver export-proven ISR/strike mass with endurance beyond 50–60 hours and payload capacity up to roughly 750 kg.
Meanwhile, the flying-wing Anka-3 has progressed from its December 2023 maiden flight to a first live internal-bay weapons release in January 2025, moving toward a survivable strike and teaming profile rather than remaining a pure tech demonstrator. Set against Taranis, an advanced but non-fielded demonstrator, Anka-3 is charting a path to operational UCAV service with internal carriage and potential loyal-wingman roles, while Taranis provides a knowledge base in signature control, autonomous flight and systems engineering that BAE can transpose into new designs. Taken together, the spectrum from stratospheric persistence (PHASA-35) through MALE endurance (Anka/Aksungur) to stealthy UCAV effects (Anka-3) gives the partners a modular, interoperable roadmap across sensors, datalinks and autonomy, allowing them to tune cost, survivability and certification to mission need.
The collaboration also defines a second European–Türkiye axis in drones alongside the Baykar–Leonardo partnership. Leonardo and Baykar have created a 50/50 joint venture, LBA Systems, headquartered in Italy, with plans that include Italian production of advanced unmanned platforms such as Kızılelma and integration of European sensors and certification pathways. By comparison, BAE–Turkish Aerospace begins as an upstream design-and-development alliance anchored in FalconWorks, allowing flexibility to route specific products to the most suitable production footprint. In market terms, Baykar–Leonardo is optimized for volume and rapid industrialization in Italy, while BAE–Turkish Aerospace is positioned to prioritize complex integration with NATO air architectures and sovereign mission-data frameworks.
Strategically, this MoU could widen NATO’s menu of interoperable UAS that can plug into next-generation combat-air constructs, including remote carriers and adjunct teaming being developed by European primes. For London, it diversifies sources of affordable mass and attritable effects without over-reliance on U.S. programs. For Ankara, it deepens industrial diplomacy with a top-tier integrator while preserving the export agility that Turkish platforms enjoy across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. For allies, a UK–Türkiye supply chain offers resilience against bottlenecks and a path to European certification combined with competitive Turkish manufacturing.
On budget and contracting, the MoU discloses no funding lines, milestones, or a lead product; it is a framework rather than a program of record. As of the announcement date, there is no publicly awarded defense contract tied to this new alliance. The most recent, well-documented UAS award on the Turkish Aerospace side remains Malaysia’s LIMA 2023 procurement of three Anka-S systems for MYR 423.8 million (about USD 89–92 million), with deliveries and basing underway in 2025; in parallel, technology-transfer and local-assembly arrangements for Anka in Kazakhstan illustrate how TAI has structured industrial partnerships to enter new markets. These benchmarks suggest the type of MALE-class programs, and industrial models, the BAE–Turkish Aerospace team is likely to target as joint offerings mature.
The BAE Systems–Turkish Aerospace alignment is more than an exchange of expertise: it is a calculated attempt to create a second European center of gravity in uncrewed airpower, pairing UK certification and integration with Turkish speed and cost discipline. If the partners synchronize around open architectures, payload modularity, and sovereign mission-data control, they could set a new competitive baseline for exportable, NATO-ready UAS, from stratospheric ISR relays to stealthier strike teammates, shaping how Europe fields mass, survivability, and interoperability in the next wave of air operations.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace signed an MoU on November 6, 2025, to jointly develop advanced uncrewed air systems for NATO operations. The partnership aims to merge British combat-air integration with Turkish drone manufacturing strengths to expand capability and reduce costs across allied fleets.
On 6 November 2025, BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace announced a memorandum of understanding to explore joint development of uncrewed air systems. The move lands at a time when Europe is racing to secure scalable, interoperable drones for deterrence, crisis response, and coalition operations. Beyond a simple cooperation note, the MoU signals industrial alignment between a UK combat-air integrator and a fast-growing Turkish UAS manufacturer, an alignment that could alter the balance of cost, certification, and export access across the European and wider NATO markets.
BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace signed an MoU to jointly develop advanced uncrewed air systems, combining UK combat‑air integration with Turkish drone expertise to strengthen NATO operations (Picture Source: BAE Systems / TAI)
The agreement frames a strategic alliance between BAE Systems’ FalconWorks and Turkish Aerospace to identify and pursue common UAS opportunities. Each side brings complementary strengths: BAE contributes systems engineering depth, mission-system integration and certification routes proven across complex air programs; Turkish Aerospace adds a rapid product pipeline and established manufacturing for MALE and next-generation UCAV designs. The press release describes this as the start of a “deep and meaningful” alliance intended to combine portfolios into cost-effective solutions, a signal that the partners are aiming at families of platforms rather than a single niche project.
Both companies arrive with deep UAS ecosystems. On the UK side, FalconWorks’ portfolio spans high-altitude platforms and autonomy, exemplified by PHASA-35, a solar-electric stratospheric HAPS built for months-long ISR and communications relay, which has advanced through successive flight trials. BAE’s earlier Taranis stealth UCAV demonstrator also proved core low-observable design and autonomous mission-system integration that remains directly relevant to attritable adjunct roles. On the Turkish side, the Anka MALE family and the twin-engine Aksungur (Anka-2) deliver export-proven ISR/strike mass with endurance beyond 50–60 hours and payload capacity up to roughly 750 kg.
Meanwhile, the flying-wing Anka-3 has progressed from its December 2023 maiden flight to a first live internal-bay weapons release in January 2025, moving toward a survivable strike and teaming profile rather than remaining a pure tech demonstrator. Set against Taranis, an advanced but non-fielded demonstrator, Anka-3 is charting a path to operational UCAV service with internal carriage and potential loyal-wingman roles, while Taranis provides a knowledge base in signature control, autonomous flight and systems engineering that BAE can transpose into new designs. Taken together, the spectrum from stratospheric persistence (PHASA-35) through MALE endurance (Anka/Aksungur) to stealthy UCAV effects (Anka-3) gives the partners a modular, interoperable roadmap across sensors, datalinks and autonomy, allowing them to tune cost, survivability and certification to mission need.
The collaboration also defines a second European–Türkiye axis in drones alongside the Baykar–Leonardo partnership. Leonardo and Baykar have created a 50/50 joint venture, LBA Systems, headquartered in Italy, with plans that include Italian production of advanced unmanned platforms such as Kızılelma and integration of European sensors and certification pathways. By comparison, BAE–Turkish Aerospace begins as an upstream design-and-development alliance anchored in FalconWorks, allowing flexibility to route specific products to the most suitable production footprint. In market terms, Baykar–Leonardo is optimized for volume and rapid industrialization in Italy, while BAE–Turkish Aerospace is positioned to prioritize complex integration with NATO air architectures and sovereign mission-data frameworks.
Strategically, this MoU could widen NATO’s menu of interoperable UAS that can plug into next-generation combat-air constructs, including remote carriers and adjunct teaming being developed by European primes. For London, it diversifies sources of affordable mass and attritable effects without over-reliance on U.S. programs. For Ankara, it deepens industrial diplomacy with a top-tier integrator while preserving the export agility that Turkish platforms enjoy across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. For allies, a UK–Türkiye supply chain offers resilience against bottlenecks and a path to European certification combined with competitive Turkish manufacturing.
On budget and contracting, the MoU discloses no funding lines, milestones, or a lead product; it is a framework rather than a program of record. As of the announcement date, there is no publicly awarded defense contract tied to this new alliance. The most recent, well-documented UAS award on the Turkish Aerospace side remains Malaysia’s LIMA 2023 procurement of three Anka-S systems for MYR 423.8 million (about USD 89–92 million), with deliveries and basing underway in 2025; in parallel, technology-transfer and local-assembly arrangements for Anka in Kazakhstan illustrate how TAI has structured industrial partnerships to enter new markets. These benchmarks suggest the type of MALE-class programs, and industrial models, the BAE–Turkish Aerospace team is likely to target as joint offerings mature.
The BAE Systems–Turkish Aerospace alignment is more than an exchange of expertise: it is a calculated attempt to create a second European center of gravity in uncrewed airpower, pairing UK certification and integration with Turkish speed and cost discipline. If the partners synchronize around open architectures, payload modularity, and sovereign mission-data control, they could set a new competitive baseline for exportable, NATO-ready UAS, from stratospheric ISR relays to stealthier strike teammates, shaping how Europe fields mass, survivability, and interoperability in the next wave of air operations.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
