US President Donald Trump landed in Ankara on Tuesday for a NATO summit where leaders are hoping to woo him with promises on defense spending.
The US leader is due to hold talks with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at his sprawling presidential palace before joining an official
leaders dinner ahead of the main session of the summit on Wednesday.
NATO chief Mark Rutte has insisted European countries are “delivering” by bolstering military budgets and moving to take more responsibility for the defense of their continent in the face of Russia.
In bid to impress Trump before he touched down in Ankara, NATO kicked off with a string of arms announcements at a glitzy defense industry forum ahead of the main summit.
“Allies and industry from both sides of the Atlantic will reveal new major projects and sign contracts worth literally billions of dollars,” Rutte said.
Among the initial deals announced were contracts for new drones, refuelling, and surveillance aircraft designed to bolster Europe’s ability to protect itself.
According to a NATO diplomat, the total value of the contracts exceeds $50 billion. A major contract with the Swedish company SAAB to replace the alliance’s current AWACS early warning and surveillance aircraft was also confirmed. The contract pertains to an order for ten GlobalEye aircraft, the value of which was not disclosed.
NATO announced at the end of 2023 its intention to replace its fleet of AWACS aircraft, and Saab was expected to win the contract after Boeing withdrew.
Meanwhile, Airbus secured a contract to supply NATO with a tenth A330 MRTT, a multi-role transport and refueling aircraft.
Rutte announced these contracts to a gathering of defense industry representatives and NATO officials, who were meeting in the Turkish capital for the Defense Industry Forum.
This comes as part of the European allies’ commitment to developing their defense capabilities in response to Trump’s demands. (AFP/EIR)
