07.07.2026 17:21
At the 36th NATO Ankara Summit Defense Industry Forum, details of the "HALO" project were shared, which combines the procurement of Airbus tanker aircraft, Swedish-made GlobalEye early warning aircraft, and MQ-4C Triton UAVs with military satellites; it was announced that allied coalition groups, including Turkey, have undertaken projects to manage critical raw materials and determine parameters for new 155mm NATO artillery ammunition in order to strengthen the defense supply chain.
NATO shared some details of the projects announced at the Defense Industry Forum held in Ankara as part of the Ankara Summit.
9 COUNTRIES TO UNDERTAKE THE AIRBUS INITIATIVE
According to statements from NATO, the initiative to deliver the Alliance's 10th Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft, announced at the Defense Industry Forum held in Ankara within the framework of the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government, will be undertaken by Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
The new initiative products will be based on a model involving "pooling in a common pool and sharing costs," thus aiming to achieve common capacity at a lower cost.
In the project to acquire 10 Swedish company Saab-produced GlobalEye aircraft as the Allies' Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, and Sweden will work together.
UAV PROJECT ENTRUSTED TO 4 COUNTRIES
In NATO's project to strengthen its Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) fleet with the procurement of US company Northrop Grumman-produced MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Norway will take part. The new UAVs will join the NATO fleet operating at Sigonella Air Base in Italy.
Under this project, Northrop Grumman will produce the UAVs, while Airbus and other European companies will provide "ground control segment, data management services, command and control systems, infrastructure, and mission support solutions."
TURKEY WILL ALSO TAKE PART IN THE ARTILLERY AMMUNITION PROJECT AND THE PROCUREMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
With the "HALO" project also announced at the Ankara Summit, the connectivity of military satellites under the national control of allied countries will be strengthened, and these systems will be integrated into a network-based "large satellite constellation" structure. This project was launched with the participation of 8 allied countries.
In the project to determine the parameters of the new 155mm artillery ammunition under NATO standard, named "NATO General Purpose Indirect Fire Munition (GENIFR)", Turkey, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Norway, Slovakia, and Sweden will work together.
The project aims to accelerate production processes and eliminate compatibility and supply-related constraints.
In the project announced for the procurement, storage, transportation, and management of raw materials critical for defense, Turkey, along with Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden, will take part.
Within this scope, it is planned to strengthen the resilience of supply chains in the defense field.