Italy Signs Strategic Deal with Türkiye’s HAVELSAN to Develop New Unmanned Surface Vehicles.

Piloda Defence signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding on February 17, 2026, in Naples with Türkiye’s HAVELSAN and Istanbul-based VN Maritime Technologies to develop unmanned and hybrid maritime platforms for Italy. The partnership links Turkish autonomous mission systems with Italian production to expand Mediterranean-focused Unmanned Surface Vehicle capabilities.

Piloda Defence announced on February 17, 2026, in Naples that it has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with Türkiye’s HAVELSAN and Istanbul based VN Maritime Technologies to jointly develop and commercialize unmanned and hybrid maritime platforms tailored to the Italian market. Under the agreement, HAVELSAN will supply autonomous mission technologies, VN Maritime will serve as prime contractor responsible for platform architecture, and Piloda Defence will manage production and life cycle support in Italy. The initiative aims to align next- generation Unmanned Surface Vehicle capabilities with Mediterranean operational demands, including coastal surveillance, counter trafficking operations, and protection of critical maritime infrastructure.
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The USV configurations under discussion are expected to combine high seakeeping hull forms with autonomous navigation modules integrating Global Navigation Satellite System receivers and inertial navigation systems for resilient positioning (Picture source: Havelsan)

Under the terms of the MoU, Piloda Defence and VN Maritime are appointed as HAVELSAN’s exclusive representatives and industrial partners for USV projects in Italy. Engagements with Italian defense authorities, coast guard units, and public security stakeholders will therefore be conducted through this joint framework. The structure is notable because it anchors foreign developed autonomy software within an Italian shipbuilding and integration ecosystem, ensuring that hull construction, outfitting, harbor acceptance, sea trials, and sustainment occur domestically. For Rome, this approach reduces dependence on external maintenance chains while preserving sovereign oversight of operational deployment.

HAVELSAN brings to the partnership its established expertise in command and control architectures and autonomous control systems. The company’s mission management software integrates sensor fusion algorithms that process electro-optical and infrared payload data in real time, enabling target detection, classification, and tracking without continuous human input. Secure communication architectures, typically based on encrypted line of sight data links and satellite communication gateways, allow remote control or supervisory control beyond the radio horizon, depending on bandwidth availability and regulatory constraints. Such systems are designed to maintain connectivity redundancy, switching between primary and secondary channels in contested electromagnetic environments.

VN Maritime Technologies assumes responsibility for high-performance hull design and hybrid operational concepts. The firm has experience in fast patrol craft and rigid hull inflatable boats equipped with waterjet or high power diesel propulsion systems, often exceeding 40 knots in intercept profiles. In a hybrid manned-unmanned configuration, the platform can embark a minimal crew for complex missions while retaining the option to operate in fully autonomous or remotely controlled mode. This dual architecture requires redundant steering actuators, autonomous collision avoidance compliant with COLREG standards, and onboard power management systems capable of sustaining sensor suites and communication arrays during extended patrol cycles.

Piloda Shipyard, through its defence division, provides the industrial backbone in Naples, Brindisi, and Torre Annunziata. Local production encompasses structural assembly, integration of propulsion lines, installation of mast-mounted sensor packages, and harbor integration tests. Sea trials in the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic theaters will validate endurance, seakeeping, and data link stability under Mediterranean sea states that can shift rapidly from calm to rough conditions. Life cycle support, including spare parts management and software updates, is embedded in the Italian industrial base, a factor that often determines long term fleet availability rates.

The USV configurations under discussion are expected to combine high seakeeping hull forms with autonomous navigation modules integrating Global Navigation Satellite System receivers and inertial navigation systems for resilient positioning. Electro optical turrets typically provide day-night surveillance with laser rangefinding out to several kilometers, while surface search radars in the X band offer detection of small contacts at ranges exceeding 20 nautical miles, depending on antenna height and sea clutter. The integration of mission management software with these sensors allows automated cueing, reducing operator workload and enabling continuous monitoring over extended patrol windows. Constraints remain tied to communication bandwidth, weather impact on small craft stability, and the legal framework governing autonomous engagement decisions.

Operationally, such platforms expand the Italian Navy and Coast Guard’s capacity to maintain maritime domain awareness without committing larger crewed vessels to routine patrol. A USV operating at 25 to 35 knots can intercept suspect craft in coastal approaches while transmitting live video feeds to shore-based command centers. In counter-smuggling operations, persistent loiter capability increases the probability of detection across dispersed maritime corridors. For port security, unmanned patrols reduce risk exposure to personnel in high-threat environments, particularly where improvised explosive devices or asymmetric tactics are plausible. Hybrid modes allow a crew to embark during complex boarding support missions and then revert to autonomous patrol, offering flexibility across the mission spectrum.

The first procurement contract is targeted for the first half of 2026, positioning Italy among European states actively structuring a national roadmap for unmanned surface systems. This timing reflects both operational demand and the maturation of autonomy software capable of meeting certification standards. Moreover, the program illustrates a pragmatic model of cooperation between Türkiye and Italy, two NATO allies with complementary industrial profiles. By pairing Turkish expertise in autonomous mission systems with Italian shipyard infrastructure and access to European markets, the partnership reshapes the landscape of maritime defense technology in the Mediterranean. In a region marked by contested migration routes, energy infrastructure vulnerabilities, and naval modernization programs, the diffusion of reliable unmanned capabilities carries implications that extend beyond procurement, influencing deterrence dynamics, alliance interoperability, and the broader evolution of naval operations in Southern Europe.