New Delhi: Amid Trump’s “extremely forceful encouragement” for NATO countries to increase defence spending, NATO chief Mark Rutte Tuesday unveiled an ambitious arms deal in the 2026 Annual NATO summit in Ankara.
The procurements, mostly under wraps until now, include surveillance drones from US-based Northrop Grumman, and planes from Sweden’s SAAB. In addition, US defence company Lockheed Martin and Germany’s Rheinmetall signed a draft deal to jointly produce ATACMS missiles in Germany, a move that would mark the first non-US manufacture of the short-range ballistic missile.
The summit is underway amid the US president’s criticism of NATO countries and his complaints that the alliance is not stepping up its defence budget. Trump landed in Ankara Tuesday and is expected to meet the alliance heads for a dinner Tuesday.
The military contracts are seen as a response to his pressure on the European alliance. NATO chief Rutte also said US allies have made “remarkable progress” with defence spending, CNN reported.
The NATO chief further announced that NATO will invest at least $40 billion in the next five years to boost their anti-drone capacities.
He framed it as a necessary “roar” as he called for an “industrial revolution” across the alliance, warning about the increased military spending by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.
‘We don’t have the luxury of time. We need capabilities now to ensure we remain ready. The security situation demands it. The hum of machinery must become a roar,” he said.
Rutte’s statement also comes amid Moscow’s bid to expand its nuclear arsenal and pressure Europe.
Tensions flared between US and NATO allies post the West Asia war after Trump criticised the European countries for insufficient support and threatened to quit the alliance. US also announced a withdrawal of military troops from Europe and launched a 6-month review of the troops.
Drones take lead
Rutte announced the procurement of up to five Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton high-end, high-altitude and long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for NATO’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Force.
Marking the first purchase of Triton drones by the alliance, the fleet is expected to complement the current fleet of RQ-4D Phoenix drones based at the Sigonella Air Base in Italy. Currently, Tritons are utilised by the US Navy and the Royal Australian Air force.
A transatlantic industrial consortium is being constructed to carry out the project. The consortium will include Northrop Grumman, which will build the drone, with Airbus Defence and Space and other European companies, which will provide the ground segment, data management services, command and control, and infrastructure and mission support.
Other announcements included the announcement of delivery of 10 Airbus A330 MRTT, contract for 10 Saab GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft, launch of counter-drone marketplace, and launch of the NATO Drone Edge Initiative.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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