NATO Touts $50 Billion in Arms Deals as Leaders Meet in Ankara

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Defense 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 defense 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 President Donald ‌Trump to shoulder a greater share of the alliance's defense burden.

Following are the deals announced ​so far:

Swedish defense equipment maker Saab said NATO will begin formal negotiations on the acquisition of up to 10 GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft.

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 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.

Separately, the United States will establisha maintenance facility in Europe for Lockheed Martin's advanced PAC-3 ‌air defense 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.

The U.K. 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 Defense said. It added the U.K. could join current program partners Australia and the U.S. to further develop the missile.

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.

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.

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.

IT consulting firm Accenture and Italian ‌defense company Leonardo ​signed a seven-year contractworth about ‌200 million euros to design and operate a secure NATO communications network.

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 program after President Donald Trump said in May he would reduce U.S. military presence in the country.

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