Netherlands to announce over €3 billion in defense contracts at NATO summit

The Dutch government is set to unveil more than 3 billion euros in new defense contracts and planned investments at the NATO summit, Defense Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz announced. The plans include a joint effort with Belgium to bolster air defenses, closer naval cooperation with the United Kingdom, and additional defense investment projects with Germany, the Ministry of Defense confirmed after Reuters first reported the plans.

Governments and defense industry representatives will meet in Ankara on Tuesday, ahead of the official NATO summit, to present a range of new defense agreements. The Netherlands will use the occasion to announce "well over 3 billion euros" in defense commitments and concrete investment plans, according to Yeşilgöz.

The Netherlands and Belgium have long been coordinating plans to bolster the air defenses of both neighboring countries. Under the arrangement, Belgium, whose air defense capabilities have been limited, will acquire NASAMS air defense systems through a Dutch-led procurement program. The two countries will also jointly enhance their capabilities to defend against drone attacks.

The Netherlands and the United Kingdom will jointly develop a fleet of amphibious transport ships designed to support landing operations. Equipped with landing craft and transport helicopters, the vessels can deploy marines and military equipment ashore for operational missions.

The goal is to create a shared Anglo-Dutch fleet. The Netherlands is already constructing six of the ships, which are expected to enter service from 2032 to replace the country's aging amphibious transport vessels.

The British Navy plans to deploy the new amphibious transport ships chiefly in support of NATO operations to defend the High North.

Yesilgoz also announced that the Netherlands and Germany will jointly produce Stinger surface-to-air missiles. She did not provide financial details or specify how many missiles will be produced.

The Stinger is a man-portable surface-to-air missile that can be launched by an individual soldier before automatically homing in on targets such as aircraft. It has frequently been included in Western military assistance packages for Ukraine and continues to play an important role in the country's defense against Russia.

Yeşilgöz said closer cooperation between European countries is essential as defense investment continues to rise. "By pooling our efforts, we can avoid fragmentation, increase production capacity alongside our allies, and enable our defense industries to scale up more rapidly," she said.

The Netherlands will also join U.S.- and Norwegian-led initiatives to jointly purchase selected types of ammunition, Yeşilgöz announced. In addition, the country will sign an agreement to examine the possibility of jointly producing AMRAAM missiles, advanced weapons used by F-35 fighter jets for air defense. Separately, the Netherlands is working with four other countries on plans to jointly maintain interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system.