NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks at the opening of the NATO Defense Industry Forum on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
The 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government opened in Ankara with a Defense Industry Forum focused on transatlantic defense production, investment and military capabilities.
The July 7-8 summit, hosted by Türkiye, is bringing together leaders from NATO’s 32 member states.
Speaking at the NATO Defense Industry Forum, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said allies needed to strengthen their air power and turn higher defense spending into concrete military capabilities.
Rutte said allies were announcing steps related to Airbus A330 MRTT and A400M aircraft, including the delivery of the 10th A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft to the multinational fleet.
He also said a new multinational project focused on the Airbus A400M was being launched to improve NATO’s strategic air transport capacity.
The A330 MRTT and A400M projects would give the alliance two high-capability multinational air fleets, Rutte said.
He added that this 10th delivery brings the multinational fleet closer to its ultimate target of 12 aircraft.
The forum, held at ATO Congresium, is part of the official NATO summit program and is bringing together allied officials and defense industry representatives.
Rutte is also scheduled to attend events at the Presidential Complex with NATO defense and foreign ministers later in the day.
Turkish officials say the forum is one of the most extensive defense industry events held alongside a NATO summit.
