NATO Secreatary General announces new 'major' defence projects'
Ankara, July 7
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Secretary General Mark Rutte has announced "new major projects" in defence at the Defence Industry Forum in the capital city of Turkey.
"A year ago in The Hague," he said, opening the Defence Industry Forum in Ankara, "allies committed to investing 5 per cent in defence and security by 2035. And we agreed to increase production and innovation. Now, a year later, we are announcing results," Italian news agency Adnkronos reported.
"We have a lot," he continued, "to show. Today and tomorrow, we will sign contracts worth billions of dollars, which will boost our economies, enhance our security, and create hundreds of thousands of jobs. These are NATO-made capabilities, achieved by working together, in close cooperation."
Among the projects announced by the Secretary General is an "in-flight refuelling platform" and for moving equipment "rapidly across the Alliance," involving "several allies." Finland has joined the multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) fleet. Together, the nine MRTT fleet members (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden) have announced the imminent delivery of the tenth Airbus A330 MRTT, bringing the fleet closer to its full capacity of 12 aircraft.
It was also announced, among other things, an investment of over 40 billion dollars in anti-drone capabilities over the next five years. The goal is also to quintuple the number of drone operators by the end of 2027. For rapid procurement, NATO will establish an anti-drone capability market that will ensure the availability of tested systems compatible with NATO standards.
For drone operator training, Allies will also leverage the multinational NATO Flight Training Europe (NFTE) initiative, which facilitates the training of all flight personnel and will also be extended to drone operator training. At the Forum, Finland, France, and Sweden joined the other seventeen NFTE members.
The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has also awarded a contract worth "hundreds of millions of dollars" for the purchase of surveillance drones for the Allies.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Mark Rutte talking about 'NATO-made capabilities' while our defence sector still struggles with imported spare parts for the Rafale and S-400. 40 billion dollars on anti-drone capabilities - that's more than India's entire defence budget for two years! Makes you think about the sheer scale of Western military-industrial complex. But honestly, their focus on rapid mobility and refuelling is something we desperately need for our northern borders.
All this spending while climate change is ignored! NATO's carbon footprint must be enormous - all those aircraft and drones burning fuel for 'security'. India should focus on green defence tech instead of copying this model. We need to protect our borders without destroying the planet our soldiers are protecting. 😤
As an Indian watching this, I can't help but compare our defence procurement. NATO is signing multi-billion dollar contracts like it's nothing, while our forces still use outdated equipment. The MRTT fleet with 10 Airbus A330s shows what joint procurement can achieve. India should push for more collaborative projects with friendly nations - maybe Japan or Australia - for logistics planes and tankers. Why are we always late to these trends? 🤔
Fifth generation warfare is here! Anti-drone capabilities, drone operator training, surveillance drones - this is exactly what we need for our borders with Pakistan and China. But 40 billion dollars? For India that's nearly half our defence budget for a whole year. We need to prioritise indigenous development of these systems. DRDO should be working on this round the clock. Time to wake up and smell the coffee! ☕
M We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.