NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made several announcements about new defense contracts and capabilities worth tens of billions of dollars during an event at the alliance’s summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday.
The announcements, which range from increased funding for drone training and counter-drone technology to new aerial refuelers and high-end space capabilities, came during Tuesday’s NATO defense industry forum. Rutte is overseeing the alliance at a significant point in its history, between the evolution in warfare that continues to transform on the doorstep of the alliance’s eastern flank, while there are constant questions about President Donald Trump’s true intentions when it comes to an alliance that has frequently been a target of his ire.
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Rutte said Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, and Turkey agreed to work together to fund a developmental generic NATO 155mm ammunition, which will, in the long-term, eliminate constraints affected by different artillery systems across the alliance. Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Turkey, and the United Kingdom also agreed to launch the Ground-Based Precision Strike Capabilities High Visibility Project to explore novel deep precision strike capabilities.
The alliance also committed to investing more than $40 billion in counter-drone capabilities over the next five years and intends to create an Amazon-style drone marketplace to ease procurement of parts, and anticipates training five times as many drone operators by the end of next year. The drone pilots’ training will go through NATO’s multinational Flight Training Europe initiative, which has 16 flight centers across eight countries.
The alliance is working toward having a full fleet of 12 Airbus A330-Multirole Tanker Transport aircraft, but only nine are currently in operation. Rutte said Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden are involved in the forthcoming delivery of the tenth Airbus A330 MRTT.
Building on that fleet, Rutte announced that Belgium, Croatia, France, Poland, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom would lead the way on a new fleet of military transport aircraft of Airbus A400Ms.
“The selection of the A400M for this multinational fleet underlines its key strategic airlift capabilities. With more than 135 aircraft in operation and more than 270,000 flight hours achieved by the global fleet, the A400M has become the backbone of Air Mobility for the largest European NATO countries, and with its future capability roadmap, its role will become even more essential for decades to come,“ said Ben Bridge, Chairman of Airbus Defense and Space in the U.K.
“The Airbus platforms are built on strong European industrial leadership, close NATO-EU cooperation, and with contributions from U.S. industry partners,” Rutte said.
He also announced that Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Norway would finance the procurement of up to five Triton high-altitude, long-endurance drones meant for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, or ISR, which are produced by Northrop Grumman.
The MQ-4C Triton is a high-altitude maritime drone that is capable of flying at altitudes above 50,000 feet for 24 or more hours, and they have a range of 7,400 nautical miles, according to Northrop Grumman’s website.
Rutte also shared that the alliance has decided to move forward with SAAB’s GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) systems as its long-term replacement for the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control Systems (known as AWACS), which NATO intends to retire in 2035. Allies announced the joint procurement of ten GlobalEye systems.
“We are honored and proud to support NATO in its next-generation AEW&C capability. We are confident that GlobalEye is the right choice for the Alliance, delivering proven capability, adaptability, and long-term operational advantage,” said Micael Johansson, President and CEO of Saab. “Today’s announcement clearly positions GlobalEye as the world-leading solution for advanced airborne early warning and control. We look forward to the next steps in the negotiations.”
Eight countries also launched a new initiative, the Hybrid Alliance Layered Operations in Space, which will focus on improving the connectivity and integration of nationally-owned and controlled military satellites into a “networked mega constellation,” a NATO press release said.
Another group of a dozen countries is participating in a new multinational High Visibility Project on defense-critical raw materials to strengthen the resilience of the alliance’s supply chains while reducing existing vulnerabilities.
These efforts are intended to increase alliance members’ defense spending and interoperability to work together seamlessly if the alliance is threatened. Allies agreed last year to increase the defense spending minimum from 2% of gross domestic product to 5%, and they have until 2035 to reach that target. Some countries have enthusiastically signed on, while others have begrudgingly been dragged along. Trump has warned there could be consequences for countries that haven’t demonstrated a viable pathway to reach the 5% goal by the deadline.
NATO TO ANNOUNCE ‘TENS OF BILLIONS’ OF DOLLARS FOR NEW DEFENSE CONTRACTS: RUTTE
Allies also launched a call to action to increase private capital investment in defense, security, and resilience. They are encouraging financial institutions to increase lending and equity investments while countries in the alliance are also expected to strengthen domestic financial mechanisms and back public-private co-investments. Several institutions have already mobilized more than $200 billion in capital.
Rutte also announced a new initiative called the NATO Front Door for Industry, which will serve as a simplified point of access to procurement opportunities and demand signals for companies looking to get into procurement opportunities. He also introduced the NATO Engine, which is a new framework opportunity designed to coordinate factory capacity and cross-border collaboration.
