Italy sells Piaggio Aerospace to Turkish drone maker Baykar

ROME — Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar has purchased Italy’s Piaggio Aerospace, reflecting Baykar’s growing global ambitions while marking a timely rescue for the troubled Italian aircraft producer.

The deal, which was announced on Friday by Italy’s industry ministry, follows six years of Italian state management at Piaggio after it went into receivership in 2018.

Founded in 1884 and one of the world’s oldest aviation firms, Piaggio is known for its P.180 business turboprop but has also secured maintenance work in recent years on Italian army helicopters.

In a statement, the Italian industry ministry said Baykar had been picked as buyer over two other suitors.

Its offer, which was not quantified in the statement, was “the most suitable to guarantee the interests of the employees and creditors” of Piaggio Aerospace and to “relaunch the group’s industrial prospects.”

Industry minister Adolfo Urso said the deal “has guaranteed the relaunch of the company with a clear and ambitious industrial vision.”

He added, “After six years we are giving a future to Piaggio Aerospace, which is a strategic asset for our country.”

The purchase gives an Italian presence to Baykar, the Turkish company which has risen to prominence in the UAV market since its TB2 drone was reportedly used to great effect by the Ukrainian military following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

In a post on X, company CEO Haluk Bayraktar wrote, “We will work to preserve the historic identity of Piaggio, boost its productive capacity and support the growth of jobs in Italy, uniting innovation with respect for its roots.”

The choice of a Turkish buyer for an Italian aviation firm, complete with promises to save Italian jobs, is a remarkable turnaround given Italy’s traditional heft in the aviation industry.

The deal reflects Baykar’s soaring success in drone manufacturing as well the failure of a Piaggio unmanned project which prompted the firm’s near-collapse.

Piaggio was taken over in 2014 by Mubadala Development Company, an Abu Dhabi-based strategic investment and development company which was due to build an unmanned version of the P.180 for the UAE.

The UAE however said it would buy the platform on condition Italy bought it first - a condition Italy agreed to.

But when Italy delayed its purchase, the UAE cancelled its planned order, sending the firm into receivership in 2018.

Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.

罗马——土耳其无人机制造商 Baykar 收购了意大利 Piaggio Aerospace，这反映了 Baykar 日益增长的全球雄心，同时也标志着这家陷入困境的意大利飞机制造商得到了及时的救助。

意大利工业部于周五宣布了这项交易。此前，比亚乔公司在 2018 年进入破产管理程序后，经历了六年的意大利国家管理。

比亚乔公司成立于 1884 年，是世界上最古老的航空企业之一，以其 P.180 公务涡轮螺旋桨飞机而闻名，但近年来也获得了意大利陆军直升机的维护工作。

意大利工业部在一份声明中表示，Baykar 击败了另外两家竞购者，被选为买家。

声明中并未具体说明其报价，但称该报价“最能保障比亚乔航空航天公司员工和债权人的利益”，并“重振集团的工业前景”。

工业部长阿道夫·乌尔索表示，这项交易“保证了公司以清晰而雄心勃勃的工业愿景重新启动”。

他补充道：“经过六年时间，我们正在为比亚乔航空航天公司创造未来，该公司是我们国家的战略资产。”

此次收购使土耳其公司 Baykar 在意大利拥有了业务。Baykar 自 2022 年俄罗斯入侵乌克兰后，其 TB2 无人机据称被乌克兰军方有效使用以来，在无人机市场迅速崛起。

公司首席执行官 Haluk Bayraktar 在 X 上发表的一篇文章中写道：“我们将努力保护比亚乔的历史特色，提高其生产能力，并支持意大利的就业增长，将创新与尊重其根源结合起来。”

考虑到意大利在航空业的传统优势，选择土耳其买家收购一家意大利航空公司，并承诺保住意大利的就业岗位，这无疑是一个惊人的转变。

该交易反映了 Baykar 在无人机制造领域取得的巨大成功，同时也反映了 Piaggio 无人机项目的失败，该项目曾导致该公司濒临破产。

2014 年，比亚乔被总部位于阿布扎比的战略投资和发展公司穆巴达拉发展公司收购，该公司原本计划为阿联酋建造 P.180 的无人版本。

然而，阿联酋表示，它愿意购买该平台，前提是意大利先购买——意大利同意了这一条件。

但当意大利推迟购买时，阿联酋取消了原定订单，导致该公司在 2018 年破产清算。

汤姆·金顿是《防务新闻》驻意大利记者。