ROME — Italy recently reached two significant milestones in its expanding defense partnerships across the Middle East. In February 2025, Leonardo and Fincantieri strengthened their collaboration with the United Arab Emirates' EDGE Group, while Leonardo and Turkey’s Baykar signed a joint venture (JV) agreement for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) development in early March. These developments mark a critical step for Italy’s defense industry, reinforcing its position in two of the region’s most rapidly evolving defense markets.

Even before these deals, Italy had already positioned itself as the Middle East’s second-largest defense supplier after the United States. According to the latest SIPRI report, Italy accounted for 13% of total arms imports to the region between 2020 and 2024, surpassing major EU defense exporters like France (9.8%) and Germany (7.6%). This trend underscores Rome’s deepening engagement in regional security, particularly as Gulf states seek to diversify their military procurement strategies beyond traditional suppliers like the United States and France.

As Italy deepens its defense ties in the region, its growing footprint signals a shift in the balance of influence among global arms suppliers, reshaping competition between European, American and emerging defense players.

Defense at core of Italy-UAE reset