ANKARA – NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke at the Defense Industry Forum held in Ankara as part of the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government.
Rutte announced that allies will purchase 12 Airbus A400M aircraft to boost air power capacity. He noted that a new multinational project has been launched, which will provide strategic airlift capacity worldwide.
At the forum, it was reported that NATO's 10th Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft has joined the Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet. It was emphasized that with this development, a full 12-aircraft MRTT fleet is nearly achieved. Rutte said that the A330 MRTT and A400M provide the alliance with two high-capacity multinational fleets. He noted that the Airbus platforms are built on Europe's industrial leadership, NATO-EU cooperation, and contributions from industrial partners in the US, and added, "They keep NATO's air power strong, reliable, and ready for decades to come."
New Era in Airborne Early Warning
Rutte said that the Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS fleet, which NATO has relied on for years, has reached the end of its service life, and announced that approximately 10 Saab GlobalEye aircraft will be procured to replace them. He noted that the GlobalEye can conduct simultaneous surveillance over air, sea, and land, and can detect complex threats including ballistic missiles. Rutte described the program as "a true success story."
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Drone Defense
It was reported that NATO is adding unmanned aerial vehicles to its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Rutte said that these vehicles will provide round-the-clock surveillance over vast maritime areas, and also announced that through the "NATO Drone Edge" initiative, allies will invest over $40 billion in counter-drone capabilities over the next five years. He added that allies have committed to training five times more drone operators in their armed forces by 2027. He noted that with the participation of Finland, France, and Sweden, the NATO Flight Training Europe project now has 20 participants and 16 training centers in 8 countries.
Industrial Cooperation and New Platforms
Rutte announced the "NATO Front Door for Industry" platform to facilitate engagement with the industrial sector, and the "NATO Engine" initiative aimed at accelerating large-scale production and innovation. He explained that through "NATO Engine," the most promising companies will be offered cross-border production and cooperation opportunities without the need for major investments, by matching existing factories with idle capacity to speed up production.
Rutte added that allies have formed a new procurement coalition to address capability gaps by combining demand and consistent procurement approaches, and reported that a multinational project has been launched for the stable supply of critical materials.
Citing the commitment made at the summit in The Hague to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, Rutte said that notable progress has been made and that this will be reinforced with billions of dollars' worth of agreements to be signed today. He emphasized that the alliance defends one billion people and every inch of its territory, and that the most concrete examples of transatlantic cooperation are on display in Ankara.
