Belgium splashes $3.5 billion to build shared air defense arsenal with the Netherlands

Belgium announced it is investing €3.1 billion ($3.5 billion) in collaboration with the Netherlands on the joint acquisition of modern air defense systems, radars, and command vehicles. The multibillion procurement includes 10 Kongsberg NASAMS launchers, 20 Rheinmetall SkyRanger 30 assets, 14 Thales GM200 Multi Mission Radars, and 54 Iveco command vehicles. The agreement was signed during a ceremony at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey. Belgium's defense minister Theo Francken said the country will build its own powerful air defense capability for the first time in twenty years through this joint procurement. The statement stressed that partnering on a matching ground-based air defense architecture would maximize cooperation between Brussels and The Hague across training, maintenance, logistics, and operational deployments. The announcement comes as part of broader NATO efforts, with allies announcing a plan to spend more than $40 billion in counter-drone capabilities over the next five years.