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Turkish defense companies Havelsan and VN Maritime have signed a strategic agreement with Italy's Piloda Defence to develop and deliver next-generation unmanned and hybrid naval platforms, targeting a first procurement contract in Italy in the first half of 2026.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) aims at a long-term collaboration leveraging Türkiye's technological expertise in autonomous systems alongside Italy's industrial infrastructure and European ties.
Under the agreement, VN Maritime and Piloda Defence have been authorized as Havelsan's exclusive representative and industrial partner for all unmanned surface vessel (USV) projects in Italy.
All USV opportunities targeting Italian defense, coast guard, public institutions and private organizations will be conducted through the VN Maritime-Piloda partnership.
Turkish software and systems company Havelsan will provide autonomous control systems, mission management software, AI-enabled perception capabilities and secure communication architectures for the project.
VN Maritime Technologies will act as prime contractor for platform architecture, contributing high-performance maritime platform design, hybrid operational concepts and advanced system integration expertise.
Through its Piloda Shipyard, Italy's Piloda Defence will oversee local industrial participation in Italy, shipyard infrastructure and production, testing and sea trials, acceptance procedures and life-cycle support services.
Platform production and integration, autonomous system installation, sea tests and demonstration activities, maintenance and logistics support will all be carried out in Italy with local industrial contribution.
A range of maritime platforms could be developed under the partnership, encompassing fully autonomous, remotely controlled, unmanned, and crewed-unmanned hybrid systems.
Missions in focus include maritime surveillance and reconnaissance, counter-smuggling operations, port and critical infrastructure security, coastal security and border protection, and search-and-rescue support.
The combination of high-performance platform architecture with Havelsan's autonomous mission systems will provide durable, mission-focused solutions suited to Mediterranean operational conditions.
The Italian armed forces have signaled growing interest in acquiring and developing unmanned and hybrid systems as part of the country's modernization program to counter future threats more effectively.
The Italian Navy is procuring 12 new multi-purpose mine countermeasures vessels under the Cacciamine Nuova Generazione program.
Intermarine and Leonardo were contracted in July 2024 to build five coastal-going new-generation minehunters with integrated logistical support for €1.6 billion ($1.88 billion), with approximately €1 billion ($1.17 billion) in options.
Recently, Intermarine announced it had begun developing a modular-capable USV for the CNG program that will operate autonomously or be remotely controlled, performing mine-hunting, mine-clearing, seabed surveillance and critical underwater infrastructure protection missions.
The Italian Navy's pair of FREMM EVO frigates, due to enter service by the late 2020s, feature an open architecture design enabling management of unmanned systems, including USVs, unmanned underwater vehicles, and unmanned aerial systems.
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Turkish Havelsan has already developed two unmanned surface vessels—Caka S-KUSV and Sancar Armed USV.
The company has also developed ground-based and air-based unmanned systems, including the Barkan and Barkan-2 unmanned ground vehicles used by the Turkish Army, the 8x8 heavy-class UGV Kapgan, and four unmanned aerial vehicles either developed or in development: Baha, Bozbey, Bulut and Poyraz.
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