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.
Italy's €3.7 billion DDX destroyer contract opens decade of naval spending with submarines and corvettes on horizon
Italy's €3.7 billion DDX destroyer contract awarded to Fincantieri and Leonardo marks the start of a sustained naval spending programme. Planned follow-on procurements include new submarines, corvettes, and a replacement aircraft carrier, pointing to significant industrial opportunities over the next decade.
Lockheed Martin wins $9.4 million contract to upgrade F-35 assembly stations at Italy's Cameri facility
Lockheed Martin will upgrade assembly stations at the F-35 final assembly facility in Cameri, Italy, under a $9.4 million contract modification. The Cameri plant is Europe's only F-35 production site and builds jets for Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland.
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Fincantieri cuts steel for ninth and final Italian Navy PPA patrol vessel
Fincantieri cut steel for the ninth Multipurpose Patrol Ship (PPA 9) at its Riva Trigoso shipyard, marking the start of construction on the Italian Navy's final PPA vessel.
Former Italian Navy officer launches Sentiq Defence maritime drone integrator in Liguria
A former Italian Navy mine warfare officer has launched Sentiq Defence, a company based in Bordighera on Italy's Ligurian coast that will supply navies, coast guards, and port and energy operators with uncrewed surface boats, underwater surveillance sonars, remotely operated submersibles, and aerial drones. Sentiq will begin as an integrator of existing systems.