Italy’s TB3 drone deal signals turn toward Turkey amid US-NATO tensions
Italy’s expected TB3 drone purchase highlights a rapidly deepening, interest-driven alignment with Turkey on defense and geopolitics.
ANKARA — Italy’s expected move to acquire Turkey’s TB3 naval drones is less about hardware than about strategy — signaling a quiet recalibration that places Ankara closer to the center of Europe’s evolving security architecture.
Rome is expected to formally approve the procurement of Bayraktar TB3 drones within months, Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar told Breaking Defense in an interview published April 17. The company manufactures the drones, and Italy could become their first European operator.
Italian Navy Chief Vice Adm. Berutti Bergotto, who has since left the post, said in March that Italy plans to acquire an unspecified number of the carrier-capable systems. Designed for takeoff and landing on short-deck carriers, the TB3 is expected to be deployed aboard the aircraft carrier Cavour.
The Bayraktar TB3 is a carrier-capable unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed by Baykar, Turkey’s drone manufacturing giant owned by the family of Selcuk Bayraktar, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s younger son-in-law. It features foldable wings and a reinforced landing gear, enabling takeoff and recovery on short-deck aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. The system is designed for intelligence, surveillance and strike missions, extending naval reach without relying on manned aircraft.
