Leonardo plans to fly uncrewed fighters alongside M-346 aircraft by mid-2026
The M-346 will be the crewed aircraft flown as part of these tests. (Photo: Leonardo)
The two uncrewed fighter aircraft will be made in conjunction with Baykar, which joined forces with Leonardo under LBA Systems in June 2025 to develop and produce uncrewed aerial systems for the international market.
Leonardo plans to fly two uncrewed fighter aircraft controlled by a M-346 light attack fighter aircraft this year, according to company CEO Roberto Cingolani, with first demonstrations by May to then be made public for mid-2026.
The test flight will involve crewed-uncrewed teaming (CUC-T) with Leonardo’s M-346 light attack aircraft as the crewed ‘mother’ aircraft controlling two uncrewed fighters as loyal wingman aircraft, Cingolani explained.
“The concept is, while we wait for the six-generation fighter…you can already provide to customers that don’t have the opportunity to buy very big systems, an adjunct that can be operated in conjunction with existing aircrafts,”
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