The Leonardo-Baykar joint venture LBA Systems introduced the Astore Levante in Farnborough.
LBA Systems, the joint venture between Italian defence and aerospace group Leonardo and Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar, has unveiled its first product — the carrier-capable uncrewed aircraft Astore Levante — at the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow. According to Naval News, the aircraft is already in production at Leonardo’s Italian facilities, with first deliveries to the Italian Navy expected by the end of 2026.
The Astore Levante is built on Baykar’s Bayraktar TB3, an uncrewed platform designed for short-deck launch and recovery. Leonardo has added its own mission systems and payload integration, tailoring the aircraft to European naval operations. The programme stands out as one of the few that combine Turkish platform engineering with Italian sensor and electronic-warfare capabilities under a single joint venture.
Designed for short decks
The aircraft’s defining feature is its ability to operate from short-deck vessels thanks to folding wings and reinforced landing gear. With autonomous take-off and landing, the modular, multi-mission Astore Levante can perform maritime surveillance, electronic warfare, anti-submarine warfare and armed reconnaissance.
Payload options provided by Leonardo include the LEOSS-T electro-optical/infrared turret, Gabbiano T-80UL and Osprey 20/30 AESA radars, the SAGE ESM/ELINT suite, the Brite Storm jammer, the ULISSES acoustic system, the IFF 428 identification system and the SDR SRT-800 radio. The sensor range is intended to let a single airframe be reconfigured for different roles rather than being tied to one mission set.
The naval heritage of the TB3
The Bayraktar TB3 that underpins the Astore Levante already operates with the Turkish Navy aboard the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu. The TB3 is regarded as one of the first armed uncrewed aircraft able to take off from and land on a short-deck vessel. That operational record suggests the Astore Levante starts from a mature baseline for shipboard integration.
The Italian Navy plans to deploy the Astore Levante aboard the aircraft carrier Cavour. Naval News reports that Indonesia is also among the export customers, giving the platform users in both a NATO navy and the Asia-Pacific market.
Why it matters
The venture shows Baykar’s growing international cooperation extending into the naval-platform domain. Pairing a Turkish manufacturer’s airframe with an established European group’s sensor ecosystem points to Turkey’s defence industry moving beyond finished-product exports toward becoming a technology partner in joint production programmes.
Sources
- Naval News – “LBA Systems Debuts Astore Levante at Farnborough Ahead of Italian Delivery” – 24 July 2026. Used for the unveiling, technical configuration, delivery schedule and customers. Link
- Baykar / Leonardo corporate information – Used for the TB3’s operational use aboard TCG Anadolu and the platform baseline.
