NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced at the opening of the Defense Industry Forum in Ankara that the Alliance will buy 12 Airbus A400 aircraft, quoted by BTA.
The forum is part of the official program of the NATO summit, which is taking place in the Turkish capital on July 7 and 8.
„These aircraft will provide round-the-clock, comprehensive and continuous surveillance of maritime areas. They will be able to fly for a long time at high altitude and will provide significantly better coverage, including in open sea areas,“ Rutte said.
This is among the first decisions related to the development of the Alliance's military capabilities, announced within the framework of the NATO summit in Ankara, which has begun.
A day earlier, the NATO Secretary General announced that contracts worth billions in the field of the defense industry would be presented during the forum. He stressed that the military equipment to be displayed in the Turkish capital demonstrates the technological capabilities and innovations within the Alliance.
“I am proud to say that we have a lot to show today“, Rutte said at the opening of the Defense Industry Forum.
He described as significant progress the decision of the allies to increase their defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product.
“These are new projects. Millions that we will invest in our security, we will strengthen our economies and we will provide hundreds of thousands of jobs“, said the NATO Secretary General.
Rutte stressed that the forum presents companies and industries that work together to develop new technologies and create next-generation capabilities.
“These are the capabilities that are being created in NATO. "Not by one country, but by working together and in close cooperation," he added.