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Italian defense experts said the Italian Navy's interest in integrating the Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) into its Cavour aircraft carrier represents a strategically significant capability addition.
Meanwhile, Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar met Italy's Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso in Rome to discuss the Piaggio Aerospace acquisition and broader industrial cooperation.
On March 25, Italian Navy Commander Vice Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto told the Italian Senate's Foreign Affairs and Defense Commission that TB3 UCAVs had recently conducted operations from the Turkish drone carrier TCG Anadolu and could be used aboard the Cavour aircraft carrier, remarks that drew wide attention in Italy.
Speaking to Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), defense and security analyst Paolo Mauri stated that Bergotto had confirmed the Navy's acquisition process was moving forward.
"The TB3 is the carrier-based version of the TB2, produced by Baykar and frequently in the news for its use in Ukraine. TB3 will therefore be deployed on the Cavour and integrated into the air group composed of F-35B fighters, providing surveillance and strike capability in low-risk environments," Mauri said.
He noted TB3's endurance of 21 to 32 hours and its payload capacity, including the MAM-L precision munition, would deliver significant operational value.
Mauri cited NATO's Steadfast Dart exercise in the Baltic Sea on Feb. 15 as the decisive proof of concept.
"During this exercise, for the first time in European history, an armed UCAV took off from an aircraft carrier, conducted a strike mission and then returned to the ship. This capability demonstration by TB3 launching from the Turkish drone carrier Anadolu proved that this type of UCAV could effectively operate from an aircraft carrier that does not have launch mechanisms and arrestor systems, but has a ski-jump ramp at the bow, as is the case with the Cavour," he noted.
"It also demonstrated it could operate in the challenging climatic conditions of the Baltic Sea in February," Mauri said.
Mauri identified two concurrent factors driving Italian interest. The first is LBA Systems, a 50-50 joint venture between Leonardo and Baykar established in Italy in March 2025 responsible for the design, development, production and maintenance of UAV payloads.
Speaking to AA, defense journalist and author Luca Peruzzi stated that Bergotto's statement confirmed TB3's strategic value.
"The Vice Admiral's remarks that TB3s produced in the Baykar-Leonardo cooperation could be used aboard the Cavour will allow the air wing to expand the mission range of the carrier task group. This will benefit both the fleet's and the military's joint force capabilities. The TB3s produced by LBA Systems are expected to become an important force multiplier, particularly for the Italian and Turkish navies," Peruzzi said.
Alessandro Politi, director of the NATO Defense College Foundation in Rome, framed the cooperation as a natural progression.
"This is, so to speak, a logical development of industrial cooperation, and it has clearly received political approval from both governments, because defense industrial cooperation is clearly a political matter," he said.
He added, "This attention to Türkiye has existed not just under this government, but for a long time. We share the Mediterranean basin, we share the same concerns in this region. There is also a very well-established relationship based on mutual understanding between Ankara and Rome. We are definitely allies within NATO, and Türkiye is always a potential partner of the European Union."
Italy's Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso met Baykar CEO and Piaggio Aerospace Chairman Haluk Bayraktar in Rome.
Urso said the meeting, a follow-up to his official visit to Ankara on March 24, allowed the two sides to assess initial results from the Piaggio Aerospace acquisition, examine the industrial plan's perspectives and explore potential support from the Italian ministry.
Baykar formally acquired Piaggio Aerospace, Italy's 140-year-old aviation firm, on June 30, 2025, with restructuring and production capacity expansion accelerating since the acquisition.
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