Fincantieri, Defcomm link up on autonomous naval units and surface drones

October 20, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

Italian shipbuilding heavyweight Fincantieri has signed a strategic agreement with local start-up Defcomm to accelerate the development of autonomous surface units.

As informed, the agreement focuses on a co-investment partnership to accelerate the development and industrialization of surface drones designed by Defcomm, which have already passed long-term and endurance tests. These drones are designed for surveillance, intelligence, and patrol missions and stand out for their high operational flexibility, being able to operate in fully autonomous mode, remote control, and manual control, as well as for their high performance in terms of speed.

The partnership will also enable Fincantieri to develop and integrate deployment capabilities for autonomous surface vehicles on its naval units.

Furthermore, the collaboration between Fincantieri and Defcomm will also support upcoming training activities during which the advanced capabilities of the platforms and their interoperability in complex scenarios will be demonstrated.

“This partnership confirms Fincantieri’s role as a leader in innovation and a growth engine for the entire national naval industrial ecosystem, able to catalyze the development of new technologies and anticipate the needs of a competitive and rapidly evolving global market such as that of surface drones,” Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and Managing Director of Fincantieri, stated.

The agreement confirms Fincantieri’s commitment to driving technological innovation by collaborating with emerging entities, investing in new critical skills to consolidate its industrial leadership, particularly in the field of high-tech dual-use unmanned solutions.