Italy eyes MBDA munitions for Baykar-derived TB-3 combat drone assembled by LBA Systems
Italy's air force intends to equip its six TB-3 drones — derived from Baykar's TB-3 and assembled in Italy by LBA Systems — with MBDA armaments, Defense News reports. The move would integrate European weapons onto a Turkish-origin platform built locally.
Why it matters: Rome is threading the needle: Turkish airframe, Italian assembly, European weapons. It's a hedging strategy that keeps Ankara's industrial appetite inside NATO boundaries.