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 the allies will acquire 12 Airbus A400M aircraft to boost air power capacity. He noted that a new multinational project has been launched in this context, 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. With this development, it was emphasized that the alliance is close to achieving a full 12-aircraft MRTT fleet. Rutte said the A330 MRTT and A400M provide the alliance with two multinational high-capacity 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 said, "They keep NATO's air power strong, reliable, and ready for the decades ahead."
New Era in Airborne Early Warning
Rutte said 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 domains and 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 has added unmanned aerial vehicles to its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Rutte said these vehicles will provide uninterrupted day-and-night surveillance over vast maritime areas, and also announced that through the "NATO Drone Edge" initiative, allies will invest over $40 billion in counter-drone defense capabilities over the next five years. He added that allies have committed to training five times more UAV operators in their armed forces by 2027. He noted that with the participation of Finland, France, and Sweden in the NATO Flight Training Europe project, the number of participants has reached 20, with 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 "NATO Engine" will offer the most promising companies cross-border production and cooperation opportunities without the need for major investments, and will match existing factories with idle capacity to speed up production.
The allies have formed a new procurement coalition to address capability shortfalls by combining demand and consistent supply approaches
