Italy’s increasing interest in Turkish combat drones Rome ready to reshape national arsenal with Turkish solutions

The changing nature of conventional wars pushes many countries to reshape their traditional vision regarding armed conflicts, particularly in the aftermath of the Second Karabakh War and the war in Ukraine. When Azerbaijan ensured a full military victory over Armenia during the second Karabakh war in 2020 by employing modern warfare equipment, namely combat drones, many Western countries decided to abandon traditional methods of warfare. As such, several NATO-member and non-member countries, including Poland, Ethiopia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine acquired Turkish-made Bayraktar-TB2 combat drones.

The latter actively used combat drones to ambush Russian military vehicles and personnel in the first months of the military intervention in February 2022. The video footage of destroyed Russian tanks and other armoured vehicles by Bayraktar drones went viral, revealing the Russian military’s major vulnerabilities. Hence, amid growing Russian aggression in the European Union's (EU) immediate neighbourhood, many countries reached out to Ankara to purchase indigenously-made combat drones.

Bayraktar TB2 targets Armenian tanks during the Second Karabakh War

For example, Romanian Defense Ministry appealed to the parliament in early August 2022 to approve a tender procedure for purchasing 18 units of Bayraktar TB2 drones for the Romanian Army as part of the modernization of the Armed Forces’ arsenal. Although the country, which has a 650-kilometre border with Ukraine, has the US missile defence systems and a NATO battlegroup deployed on its territory since the war in Ukraine unfolded, Romania seemingly eyes more security guarantees.

The debates renewed in September of this year as Italy, one of NATO's largest military powers revealed its aspirations to purchase of the Bayraktar TB2 SIHAs (combat drones). In August 2022, the Turkish media reported that Italy is considering the purchase of Bayraktar drones, though no specific information was provided back then. In November, Italy’s new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss new partnership opportunities. Although the Italian Prime Minister has always maintained a firm stance regarding Ankara’s access to the EU, the meeting concluded on positive notes.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet during the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, November 2022

Shortly after the meeting, Italian and Turkish media reported that Prime Minister Meloni requested Türkiye’s renowned armed drones. The allegation raised eyebrows in the foreign policy community, as Italy has been operating US-made MQ-9 Reaper drones, which are considered to be more advanced. According to Middle East Eye correspondent Ragip Soylu’s report, PM Meloni requested combat drones for surveillance purposes against illegal immigrants in border areas. Undoubtedly, President Erdogan took it for granted and, in exchange for drones, demanded to renew efforts on joint manufacturing of the much-awaited SAMP/T air defence system that has been under negotiations since 2017. The joint project of  Türkiye, France, and Italy has stalled due to objections from Italy regarding some technical characteristics and was later postponed after negotiations failed. Although state officials do not elaborate on the technical refusal of Italy, Ankara is optimistic that Italy would give the green light to the project.

Until now, Italian officials did not vocally comment on their allegations regarding Bayraktar drones, which in turn triggered debates that such reports are nothing more than rumours. Italy’s operation of advanced US-made combat drones suggests that the country does not need additional aerial fighter devices. However, it is noteworthy that the Italian government eyes arming its MQ-9 Reaper drones with upgrades from the United States, but any further new purchases from other countries would require budgetary allocation and parliamentary approval. Moreover, the Italian military’s 2022-24 multi-year program document doesn’t mention new purchases and only mentions the US-made MQ-9 Reaper and Predator drones. Nevertheless, the fact that Bayraktar drones are much cheaper than the US-made sophisticated drones could further encourage Rome to acquire at least a few numbers of them.

US-made MQ-9 Reaper drone

Given the reputation of its armed drones, Ankara now pushes for more advanced drone model production, such as Akinci, which has a range of more than 7,500 km, and Anka, which can reach 200 km. In this regard, it is obvious that Turkish-made drones can provide accurate and critical intelligence data, as Italy is keen to expand surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Indeed, the Italian army needs to develop new capabilities to conduct "non-contact and deep manoeuvres" in enemy territory, operating across increasing distances, and therefore more electronic warfare systems, precise munition, and drones are required.

To put it simply, it would be critical for Italy to obtain at least a few units of Bayraktar drones to expand its ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance) capabilities with cheaper and more expendable platforms.

In this vein, President Erdogan's meeting with Prime Minister Meloni could set up a suitable platform for further intensive defence cooperation between Ankara and Rome soon.