NATO Member Defence Companies Sign Procurement and Cooperation Agreements at Forum
Key Defence Agreements Announced at NATO Industry Forum
July 7 (Reuters) - Defence companies from NATO member states gathered in Ankara on Tuesday for an industry forum held alongside the alliance's annual summit, where several defence cooperation and procurement agreements were expected to be announced.
Here are the deals announced so far:
SAAB
GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft Acquisition
The Swedish defence equipment maker said NATO will begin formal negotiations on the acquisition of up to 10 GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft.
Delivery Timeline and Pricing
CEO Micael Johansson told reporters the company could start deliveries as soon as 2030, and the final price would be roughly $400 million to $450 million per aircraft.
LOCKHEED MARTIN, RHEINMETALL
ATACMS Missile Production Agreement
The two defence companies signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday to jointly produce ATACMS missiles in Germany, a move that would mark the first manufacture of the short-range ballistic missile outside the United States.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN
MQ-4C Triton Surveillance Drones Purchase
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said allies will buy up to five Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high-altitude surveillance drones, with Norway, Finland, Germany and Denmark signing a letter of intent for the purchase.
AIRBUS
Strategic Airlift and Tanker Fleet Expansion
NATO will launch a strategic airlift fleet of A400M transport planes and expand its existing A330 MRTT tanker and transport fleet by one aircraft, Rutte said.
ISAR AEROSPACE
Contract with Maritime Launch Services
German company Isar Aerospace signed a contract with Canada's Maritime Launch Services to secure access to launch infrastructure and services at Spaceport Nova Scotia and improve its orbital launch readiness, NATO said in a statement.
(Reporting by Emanuele Berro, editing by Matt Scuffham)