A wave of new US arms deals with European allies has highlighted growing defence investment across the continent, as several countries secure high-value contracts to bolster their airpower and missile defence capabilities amid heightened regional tensions.
Over the past two months, the US State Department has approved more than $3 billion in potential foreign military sales to European nations. These include a broad range of advanced weapons systems such as air-to-air missiles, ground-attack munitions, anti-tank weapons, and air defence platforms.
Among the largest deals is a proposed $1.33 billion sale of AIM-120D Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles to Poland, alongside a separate $180 million deal for GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs. These acquisitions support Warsaw’s continuing efforts to modernise its air force and expand munitions stockpiles.
Norway is also investing in air-to-air missile capability, with an estimated $370.9 million contract for AIM-9X Block II tactical missiles. Türkiye, meanwhile, has requested two separate purchases: $225 million for AIM-120C-8 missiles and $79.1 million for AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II missiles.
Several NATO and partner nations are also investing in air-to-ground and close support weapons. The Netherlands has requested Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles in a $215 million package, while Estonia is pursuing a $296 million deal for Javelin anti-tank missiles—one of the largest US-EU Javelin sales to date.
In southern Europe, Romania has sought to expand its integrated air defence with a $280 million procurement of the Patriot air defence system, adding to earlier acquisitions. Italy is pursuing a $211 million package for additional Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles to equip its fast jet fleet.
Smaller yet strategically significant sales include a $100 million deal for AW-119Kx helicopters to Bosnia and Herzegovina, intended to support the country’s internal security and border patrol capacity.
Together, these contracts reflect a pattern of accelerated procurement by European allies, with a particular focus on interoperability with US platforms and NATO force structures. While many of the weapons are destined for fast jet fleets, others bolster ground-based air defence and anti-armour capabilities. areas identified as critical in NATO’s evolving deterrence posture.
that’s not really a shopping spree that deserves an article though is it?
It is a shopping spree that keeps The Tangerine Tinted One happy.
It is a Big Beautiful Shopping Spree….
Grand Headline but,
US Arm sales to foreign Countries in 2024 amounted to $320 Billions, surely this “Europe on a Spree” spending $3 Billion is just rather normal ?
Europe should be hedging its bets and buying European. There is no guarantee that the Land of the Free will remain free indefinitely.
Amazing that ASRAAM has been one of the great successes of the Ukraine war even used in ways it was not designed for and yet US alternatives get the orders. That’s what you get I suppose when you have a hostile revenge driven President using threat and pressure and a closed shop on add ons to US weapon systems. And yet apparently it’s the rest of us being so unfair to the poor old US of A. I think the recent threat to Countries daring to do business with BRICS and/or cut out the dollar in trade reveals the true intent. It’s all about control.
As posted below/above, the US sold $320 Billions worth of arms to foreign countries last year alone. Not sure Trump’s hostile revenge really had any bearing on that ?
“Oranges aren’t the only fruit”.
Whats the production rate of ASRAAM compared to AIM-9? and if you’ve got an f-35 the AIM-9X Block II specifically is superior as its purpose built to be stealth and not increase the radar return of the f-35.
The US is pumping out 2,500 AIM-9X per year at the moment, id imagine ASRAAM is much slower.
That was the risk with Democratic party. You just have to look at the Universities it controls… Bolshevik uniformity.
Well… “Smaller yet strategically significant sales include a $100 million deal for AW-119Kx helicopters to Bosnia and Herzegovina”
….this is a Leonardo helicopter build in Philadelphia. US.
Points taken and agreed. With regard to the poor old US of A, unfortunately Uncle Sam has to take the flack for an aberrated US administation. It’s a way to galvanise the american public
Bolshevicism is on the decline in universities I feel. Autocratic populism is the greatestt extentialist threat to democracy in general
Look at share prices of all European companies in arms manufacturing… it says a lot about where the money is going. European industrial output of arms is skyrocketing. Production lines are saturated, but they keep expending. Tbh, it looks rather good to me.
Dassault, Rheinmetal, Thales, Leonardo, KNDS, MBDA are crumbling under large orders. The book to bill is very favorable.
You are right,. Conventionally things are looking up and shares in European defence companies are soaring. Unfortunayely that’s not the case with our nuclear delivery. Why buy the american F35s when. say, Dassault can sell us the Rafael fighter jets with nuclear capability? And they are much cheaper to buy and maintain. The UK is already locked in to the US with the Dreadnought program – let’ s hedge our bet’s and indulge in more ‘Entente Cordiale’.
Even UKDJ HQ is allowed the ‘occasional’ slow day. Just need to keep the followers fed and the comments rolling—so let’s keep the whinging coming 👍
#Day24
It worries me that the UK is focusing on growing British industry with new emerging technology initiatives. We should be stocking up on existing, proven systems like our allies. What about purchasing patriot systems to defend key military sites? How about more cruise missiles that can be fired from existing submarines? While we are at it, how about more Typhoons, P8s, and F35s? The clock is ticking ever louder.
Of course! That is their priority, Nick. Jobs and industry, not assets for the military.
Surely people must start seeing it, it has been going on for decades. When we had lots more assets it wasn’t so stark.
Not one journalist puts ministers on the spot. Not one.
They hide behind such and such % and grandstanding, where the real issue is that numbers have fallen so below critical mass in conventional assets and people.
If only the focus was on actually prioritising jobs and industry, there’s no shortage of production lines that need orders to keep them going in the near future.
Look at Typhoon, no new orders for aircraft even though there is a risk of jobs and skills being lost before GCAP, instead relying on the hope another country will prop up the line, but that is moving glacially.
The two frigate lines will dry up in the early to mid 2030s, perhaps Norway will go for T26 which will help, but again if they don’t what next until T83, same with T31 production line, the navy needs more escorts and still nothing on more cheaper T31 frigates let alone T26.
AJAX and Boxer Production lines, these have potential to run out of work in the early 2030s, Boxer Batch 2 no where to be seen and may be reduced and could end sooner, that will be more jobs and skills lost.
Both the Armed forces and the defence industry are being impacted by indecision and unfortunately a lack of actual orders, headlines and grandstanding don’t support industry and the current approach will undo the last decade of work to re-establish key production lines.
Splashing a few million here and there on research gives the illusion of commitment but in reality provides cover for not actually buying anything.
i’m off to do a spending spree down the pub.
Absolutely not the way to do things; buy anything but American and let the twats know we will be fine without them because TACO is having his strings pulled by big industry and we need to kick those guys in the gonads.
Korean, Japanese, indigenous capabilities exist and where possible we should be buying from these countries, of course there is one caveat.
All these buys are useless without logistics and intelligence and that is where eNATO need to be buying. Replacing US assets so they become redundant and set aside as an irrelevance.
Take the E7 radar sets and place them upon Kawasaki airframes and begin to explore avenues where the US is denuded of income, and watch what happens. Kick GD out of armoured vehicle production in the UK, demand that UK weapons be integrated before anymore buys of F35. And taking that approach, bench the F35 buy and explore cooperation with the French for Typhoon launched nuclear weapons; this time, we must take back control and give the US the high port.
Selling/selling off AIM-120’s to pay for AIM-260 production
after being asleep at the wheel for the best part of 30 years, they wake up and go on a ‘shopping spree’, doesn’t really inspire confidence
I would much prefer European countries scale up production and concentrate on European weapons. Trump is demanding 5% of GDP spent on security with 3.5% spent on core defence because he assumes a very large proportion will be spent on US weapons supporting US jobs and industry. Let’s assume that the democrats win the 2028 presidential election, get a two term president but then the US population ‘fancy a change’ and from 2036 there is an even more isolationist GOP president – a trump clone. ENATO (+ Canada) needs to be able to stand alone, with weapons and a supply chain that is not dependent on the US. Consider the UK purchase of F35A: when will these become operational? Why not invest the money in Tempest/GCAP with a UK nuclear (stand off) missile and warhead? Would this be available very much later than F35A? If there is an unacceptable capability gap then a new batch of Typhoon with French nuclear armament would be available just as quickly as F35A and not have a refuelling issue or the need for a different maintenance programme. I very much want an approach where a large proportion of the UK’s 3.5% of GDP does not go straight to the US but instead supports the UK defence industry and supply chain.
Points taken and agreed. With regard to the poor old US of A, unfortunately Uncle.Sam has to take the flack for an aberrated US administation. It’s a way to galvanise the american public.