Ankara, July 7 (IANS) North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) 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

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