Leonardo and Baykar have completed the first phase of live flight testing for the K-SWARM programme, marking a significant milestone in the development of advanced crewed-uncrewed teaming (CUC-T) and swarm capabilities for future combat air operations. The programme is focused on creating interoperability between crewed and uncrewed aircraft, a capability increasingly viewed as a critical component of next-generation combat air systems. Beyond its technological significance, crewed-uncrewed teaming is expected to influence future military doctrine, operational concepts and defence industry development across multiple domains.
The latest trials were conducted in May at Baykar’s flight and test centre in Çorlu, Türkiye. The flight campaign involved a Leonardo-owned M-346 Fighter Attack aircraft, an Italian Air Force T-346A acting as a chase aircraft, and Baykar’s Bayraktar KIZILELMA uncrewed fighter aircraft.
The tests were designed to validate advanced collaboration algorithms, autonomous flight behaviours, and operational procedures jointly developed by Leonardo and Baykar. Leonardo’s work was supported by its Avionic and Flight Control Innovation Labs and the PC2LAB concept development facility in Turin, Italy, which was connected to an M-346 Full Mission Simulator in Venegono.
At the same time, Baykar integrated advanced smart fleet autonomy capabilities into the programme using its state-of-the-art software and hardware infrastructure. The KIZILELMA’s autonomous architecture enabled rapid integration of crewed-uncrewed teaming functions and supported the transition from simulated operations to live flight testing.
A secure radio-frequency data exchange system synchronised information between the M-346 and KIZILELMA platforms throughout the trials. The communications network was protected by Leonardo’s GCC Tactical Platform, a proprietary cyber defence system that provides real-time monitoring and secure command-and-control capabilities.
During the flight campaign, the KIZILELMA performed an autonomous taxi, take-off and rendezvous with the M-346 using Baykar’s Smart Fleet Autonomy algorithms. Once in formation, pilots aboard the M-346 assumed control of the uncrewed aircraft through a dedicated crewed-uncrewed computing system.
Using a newly developed integrated avionics suite, the M-346 crew successfully commanded a series of manoeuvres and formation changes, including repositioning, separation and rejoining exercises. The KIZILELMA responded autonomously to each command, demonstrating coordinated operation between crewed and uncrewed platforms.
The flight tests were the culmination of months of joint preparation by engineers, pilots and technicians from both companies. The collaborative effort enabled the required level of system integration, algorithm validation and operational safety needed to conduct the trials successfully.
Data collected during the campaign will now be used to support the next phase of the K-SWARM programme, which will introduce more complex mission scenarios requiring higher levels of autonomy, situational awareness and coordinated multi-platform operations.
Both companies said continued advances in artificial intelligence, autonomy algorithms and collaborative procedures will gradually enable uncrewed systems to move beyond remote operation toward greater autonomy. The objective is to reduce pilot workload, increase mission effectiveness and maintain human control over critical decisions.
Additional flight tests are scheduled in the coming months, with progressively more advanced functions and operational challenges planned as the programme evolves.
The successful completion of the first phase of K-SWARM trials highlights the growing partnership between Leonardo and Baykar and represents an important step toward the development of advanced crewed-uncrewed combat capabilities for future multidomain warfare environments.
