Reasons behind Italy's interest in Turkish drones

It was reported by several Turkish sources that during a meeting between Italy's new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Meloni expressed interest in acquiring Türkiye's well-known armed drones. This news caused surprise in the foreign policy community, as Italy has previously used the MQ-9 Reaper drones produced by the United States. According to the Turkish source, Meloni's primary interest in acquiring drones was for surveillance purposes in order to combat illegal immigration. The source said that Erdoğan reportedly requested Italian cooperation in the joint production of the SAMP/T air defense system in exchange for the Turkish drones. The SAMP/T system is a collaboration between Türkiye, France, and Italy, but Turkish and French officials have stated that the project has been stalled by technical objections from Italy and has not progressed as a result. It is stated that Meloni promised to expedite efforts to find a resolution. According to the Italian military's multi-year program document for 2022-24, no new drone purchases are mentioned, and the document only references the MQ-9 Reaper and Predator drones that have been purchased from the US. Rome plans to upgrade these drones with new payloads and systems. The Italian military's multi-year program document also reaffirms Italy's involvement in the Eurodrone program, which aims to develop and produce a European medium-altitude and long-endurance military drone in partnership with Germany, France, and Spain. However, a separate Italian military report discussing the future of warfare, titled the 'Army 4.0 concept paper,' includes photos of Türkiye's Bayraktar TB2 drones to illustrate its vision of future wars, suggesting an interest in the system. The performance of Türkiye's Bayraktar TB2 drones in the conflicts in Ukraine, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh in recent times, has attracted the attention of Europe and the US, as well as the country's other productions, as these drones have demonstrated tactical advantages with their electronic warfare and smart munition capabilities, including laser-guided payloads. Federico Borsari of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) seperately suggested that Italy is seeking to increase its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, and Turkish drones could potentially be a good solution, although there may be potential drawbacks to consider, such as required time for training and integration with Italian command and control structures. He also added that different kinds of Turkish drones can help Italy expand its capabilities, adding Italy has other priorities when it comes to Türkiye, like the SAMP-T program. Earlier this month, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar informed his Italian counterpart, Guido Crosetto, that Türkiye and Italy could enhance military cooperation within a framework established by Erdoğan and Meloni.