NATO touts $50 billion in arms deals as leaders meet in Ankara
Major Defence Procurement Announcements at NATO Summit
July 7 (Reuters) - Defence companies from NATO member states gathered in Ankara this week for an industry forum held alongside the alliance's annual summit, where officials touted more than $50 billion in defence procurement and industrial agreements as allies sought to demonstrate their commitment to bolstering military spending.
While some announcements involve firm contracts and procurement plans, others remain subject to further negotiations, approvals or future development. The agreements come as European allies face continued pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to shoulder a greater share of the alliance's defence burden.
Following are the deals announced so far:
SAAB
GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft
Swedish defence equipment maker Saab 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 in Germany
Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall 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.
PAC-3 Air Defence Missile Maintenance Facility
Separately, the United States will establish a maintenance facility in Europe for Lockheed Martin's advanced PAC-3 air defence missile, U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Michael Duffey said on Tuesday. Washington is not ruling out production of the missile abroad, he added, although it is not yet clear where the facility will be located.
UK Precision Strike Missiles Acquisition
The UK will spend $254 million on Lockheed Martin's long-range Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), with the first deliveries expected in 2027, Britain's Ministry of Defence said. It added the UK could join current programme partners Australia and the U.S. to further develop the missile.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN
MQ-4C Triton High-Altitude Surveillance Drones
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 Fleet and Tanker Expansion
NATO will launch a strategic airlift fleet of Airbus A400M transport planes and expand its A330 MRTT tanker fleet by one aircraft, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
ISAR AEROSPACE
Spectrum Rocket Launch Pad in Canada
German rocket maker Isar Aerospace signed a contract with Canada's Maritime Launch Services to build and use a dedicated launch pad for its Spectrum rocket at Spaceport Nova Scotia, eastern Canada.
ACCENTURE, LEONARDO
Secure NATO Communications Network
IT consulting firm Accenture and Italian defence company Leonardo signed a seven-year contract worth about 200 million euros to design and operate a secure NATO communications network.
GERMANY, U.S.
Tomahawk Cruise Missiles Acquisition
Germany has agreed with the U.S. to acquire Raytheon-made Tomahawk cruise missiles and station them on German territory, Chancellor Friedrich Merz told lawmakers in Berlin on Thursday, removing uncertainty on the future of the programme after President Donald Trump said in May he would reduce U.S. military presence in the country.
(Reporting by Emanuele Berro, editing by Matt Scuffham)