Italian Navy’s Cavour to Integrate Bayraktar TB3 Drones

Cavour to integrate Bayraktar TB3 drones

The Italian Navy’s aircraft carrier Cavour and Turkey’s Bayraktar TB3 drones are set to come together in an important development for European naval aviation. Italy has confirmed plans to integrate the TB3 system on its principal power-projection ship.

Vice Admiral Berutti Bergotto announced the decision during an appearance before the Italian Senate Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee on 25 March. He said the procurement would be handled through Leonardo, under a cooperation agreement with Turkish manufacturer Baykar. The admiral also stated that the platform would be able to operate from Cavour on surveillance and armed missions.

In his parliamentary address, Vice Admiral Bergotto said the Italian Navy is progressing with the introduction of the TB3, a Baykar-developed unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) intended for operations from short-deck aircraft carriers. Although Leonardo will oversee the integration, the aircraft can also be acquired through LBA Systems, the Leonardo-Baykar joint venture. This is the clearest confirmation so far that Italy intends to add a fixed-wing UCAV to its embarked air wing, complementing its crewed aircraft and helicopters.

Bayraktar TB3 carrier capability

Italy will become the Bayraktar TB3’s first European customer through this purchase. The aircraft is a navalised derivative of the Bayraktar TB2, which has been exported to more than 30 countries. Designed for light aircraft carriers and vessels with limited flight decks, the TB3 is suited to expeditionary operations. Indonesia was previously named as the model’s first overseas operator after purchasing land-based and shipborne versions, underlining growing international interest in UCAVs able to operate from carriers.

The TB3 programme includes folding wings, strengthened landing gear and equipment adapted to maritime conditions, enabling its use aboard aircraft carriers such as Turkey’s TCG Anadolu. During NATO’s Steadfast Dart 2026 exercise, TB3s flew from the vessel, demonstrating intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities as well as strike functions. Fitting a comparable system aboard Cavour would mark further progress for the Italian Navy, which already operates F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft.

Italian Navy unmanned systems and industrial cooperation

Vice Admiral Bergotto’s presentation formed part of the wider expansion of the Italian Navy’s unmanned-systems portfolio. The service already deploys ScanEagle UAVs from FREMM-class frigates and has recently added a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone known as “Revolution”, developed by General Defence. According to the naval chief, the system can carry a secondary drone that acts as a loitering munition, extending the surveillance and strike capabilities of surface vessels.

Industrial cooperation between Italy and Turkey is also central to the planned introduction of the TB3 aboard Cavour. Baykar and Leonardo have an agreement intended to support joint technology development and market the system across Europe. The partnership gives Italy access to a platform combining endurance, carrier-based operations and guided munitions, increasing the flexibility of its embarked air group.

A notable precedent came during the Turkish Naval Forces’ Seawolf-II/2025 (DENİZKURDU-II 2025) exercise, when two Bayraktar TB3s conducted strike trials from the aircraft carrier TCG Anadolu using MAM-L munitions. The demonstration reinforced the drone’s suitability for maritime missions and confirmed its operational maturity. Bringing this capability to the aircraft carrier Cavour would strengthen Italy’s shift towards a combined naval aviation model, in which crewed and uncrewed assets can extend ISR coverage and enhance strike capability.

Images are for illustrative purposes.

You may also like: Italian Senate advances donation of aircraft carrier Garibaldi to the Indonesian Navy