HAVELSAN, VN Maritime and Piloda Defence forge strategic pact for hybrid naval platforms

Turkish shipbuilder HAVELSAN has signed a strategic agreement with VN Maritime and Piloda Defence to produce manned, unmanned, and hybrid surface platforms in Italy.

Following the contract for 40 naval units for the Italian Coast Guard, the collaboration between the Italy-based shipyard and the Turkish boat builder is expanding to the development of unmanned and hybrid surface vessel platforms for the Guardia di Finanza and other government institutions. Production will take place at the Piloda facilities.

The defining element of the agreement lies in the hybrid vessel concept: a naval unit capable of operating manned, unmanned, or in mixed mode, requiring no structural modifications to switch between configurations. The platforms enable operations across the entire mission spectrum: from autonomous surveillance and coordinated swarm missions to fully manned operations, including patrol, search and rescue, transport, and boarding activities.

The hybrid configuration also addresses a concrete regulatory need. In the absence of consolidated international legislation for fully autonomous vessels, the hybrid design enables immediate operational deployment by Italian institutions, with the option of embarking personnel when required by circumstances or regulations.

According to Havelsan, a functioning prototype has already been presented and tested by institutional delegations at the international Seafuture 2025 exhibition, held at the Naval Base of La Spezia’s Military Arsenal.

The platforms are based on the patented ÖK Hull technology, licensed from Icelandic company Rafnar and further developed by VN Maritime. The hull is designed to reduce slamming impact by up to 95% compared to conventional V-hull forms. 

Hull stability also has a decisive impact on onboard system performance. Underwater sensors remain submerged, ensuring continuous data flow; weapon and surface surveillance systems, cameras, searchlights, and electro-optical sensors require less stabilization, eliminating the need for additional stabilizers, it was noted.

The agreement assigns each partner a defined role. Piloda Defence will serve as the production hub and system integrator on Italian territory. It will provide its infrastructure and the knowledge gained through over fifteen years of technical support to coast guard and Guardia di Finanza units.

“The partnership with VN Maritime enables us to accelerate the development of increasingly sophisticated platforms, including unmanned solutions, while keeping our roots firmly in the manufacturing quality that has distinguished us for over a century. Although these are pre-commercial products, we are confident that the robustness of the projects and the experience gained in over 15 years of technical support to military units will enable us to effectively tackle production at scale,” Donato Di Palo, CEO of Piloda Shipyard and Co-Founder of Piloda Group, said.

Meanwhile, HAVELSAN, through its “Digital Troops” concept, has developed unmanned air, land and naval platforms, many of which have been actively deployed within the Turkish Armed Forces. The company will provide valuable operational experience.

Building on this background, HAVELSAN also aims to extend its autonomous capabilities into joint production and industrial cooperation models, supporting the development of next-generation hybrid maritime platforms.

Furthermore, VN Maritime Technologies will provide the naval design and high-performance hull technology, with the ability to adapt the design to the different operational requirements of Italian institutions.

“By combining VN Maritime’s advanced hull design and operational know-how with Havelsan’s autonomy technologies and Piloda’s industrial capabilities in Italy, we are delivering a new generation of surface vessels that are not only technologically advanced, but also immediately deployable for real-world missions. Our objective is clear: to provide reliable, mission-ready platforms tailored to the evolving needs of Italian and European institutions,” Ahmet Yasin Erdogan, Director of B&D and Co-Founder of VN Maritime Technologies, stated.

The three partners are targeting the signing of the first purchase order in the first half of 2026. The cooperation also provides for the development of variants of different sizes and configurations, with applications ranging from defence and maritime security to environmental monitoring, including for agencies responsible for marine environmental protection.

The objective is to strengthen the fleets of Italian institutions with next-generation platforms manufactured in the national territory.