NATO allies have agreed to at least $50 billion in defense industry deals, according to an alliance official, to show to U.S. President Donald Trump that Europe is heeding his spending demands.
Secretary-General Mark Rutte revealed some of the contracts on Tuesday during a defense industry forum in Ankara,?where the military alliance¡¯s leaders are meeting for their annual summit this week. Those included $12 billion in deals to buy next-generation drones, surveillance planes and military aircraft.
Notably, some of the contracts show Europe moving to locally source some equipment it previously bought from the United States. Eleven countries, for instance, will now buy airborne radar-detection systems from Swedish aerospace firm Saab, replacing a U.S.-made Boeing model. The deal is worth $5 billion, according to a NATO diplomat.
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