Italian defense firm Leonardo and Turkish aviation firm Baykar successfully concluded the first phase of live testing for the K-SWARM program, marking a milestone in crewed and unmanned aircraft teaming capabilities, according to a joint press release on Monday.
The joint flight test campaign validated collaborative and coordinated operations using next-generation algorithms that allowed piloted aircraft to assume full control of autonomous unmanned platforms, a statement from Leonardo read.
The live testing took place at a flight and test center of Baykar in Çorlu, Türkiye, and the flight operations involved two Leonardo M-346 airplanes and the Bayraktar Kızılelma unmanned fighter aircraft.
The Leonardo aircraft included a company-owned M-346 Fighter Attack variant, with a T-346A aircraft of the Italian Air Force acting as a chase plane.
During the flights, Kızılelma autonomously rejoined the M-346 formation following an autonomous taxi and take-off sequence.
