BEIRUT \u2014 Turkish software specialist Havelsan is joining with shipbuilder VN Maritime as it expands its work with Italy\u2019s Piloda Defence to coproduce unmanned and hybrid surface vessels in Italy, the companies announced today.<\/p>\n
VN Maritime and Piloda already work together after launching a joint production for 40 15-meter (50-foot) manned vessels for the Italian coast guard, but now Havelsan is joining to help make \u201chybrid and unmanned platforms\u201d for Italian law enforcement, with \u201cother Italian government and security institutions as potential end users,\u201d according to a press release<\/a> circulated by Havelsan. Production will take place at Piloda facilities in Naples, Brindisi and Torre Annunziata, the companies said.<\/p>\n The agreement includes development, marketing, integration and delivery of the USVs and hybrid vessels which can be configured for both manned and unmanned operations.<\/p>\n RELATED: Turkey\u2019s Roketsan opens new production facilities, delivers missiles to armed forces<\/a><\/p>\n The agreement divides production between the three firms: Piloda will provide its shipyard infrastructure to build the vessel and integrate the systems, Havelsan is the technology partner providing the autonomy software, and VN maritime will provide the design and hull technology for the venture.<\/p>\n \u201cThe three partners are targeting the signing of the first purchase order in the first half of 2026,\u201d the announcement said. \u201cThe cooperation provides for the development of variants of different sizes and configurations, with applications ranging from defence and maritime security to environmental monitoring, including for agencies responsible for marine environmental protection. The objective is to strengthen the fleets of Italian institutions with next-generation platforms manufactured on national territory.\u201d<\/p>\n Serhat S\u00fcha \u00c7ubuk\u00e7uo\u011flu, an expert at TRENDS Research & Advisory in Abu Dhabi, said the new agreement suggested a transition in Havelsan\u2019s operations \u201cfrom a domestic software integrator to a premier, NATO-grade solutions provider for the European maritime market.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that \u201cthis alliance is not merely a technical partnership, but a significant validation of Turkish intellectual property. <\/p>\n \u201cBy integrating Havelsan\u2019s autonomous navigation, sensor fusion, and AI-enabled perception capabilities into European-designed platforms, the cooperation establishes a reliable, battle-proven solution for NATO members operating in a volatile regions like the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He added that \u201cEuropean partnerships are particularly vital as they provide a localized industrial framework to navigate political and regulatory complexities, opening doors to EU-supported defense initiatives like the SAFE <\/a>and ReArm<\/a> Europe programs.\u201d<\/p>\n SAFE, the Security Action for Europe and ReArm Europe programs are European Union programs dedicated to boost the alliances defense readiness.<\/p>\n The agreement is only the latest coproduction arrangement for Havelsan. In March 2025 the company joined forces with Egypt\u2019s Kader Factory for Developed Industries to produce unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) in Egypt<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BEIRUT \u2014 Turkish software specialist Havelsan is joining with shipbuilder VN Maritime as it expands its work with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5303,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4005,4006,1356,241,3382,3633,5,956,1454,2827,4007],"class_list":["post-5302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-italy","tag-autonomy","tag-business-industry","tag-drones","tag-europe","tag-global","tag-havelsan","tag-italy","tag-middle-east","tag-nato","tag-navy","tag-unmanned-surface-vessel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}