Aircraft
NATO To Order Up to 10 Saab GlobalEye AEW&C Aircraft
Confirmed selection of Saab’s system announced at NATO’s Ankara summit
Based on the Bombardier Global 6500, GlobalEye combines Saab’s Erieye roof-mounted radar with a sensor suite.
Based on the Bombardier Global 6500, GlobalEye combines Saab’s Erieye roof-mounted radar with a sensor suite.

NATO has officially selected Saab’s GlobalEye platform—a missionized Bombardier Global 6500 business jet—as its next “eyes in the sky” solution. In a move set to end more than four decades of reliance on U.S.-originated systems, NATO secretary general Mark Rutte on Tuesday confirmed the alliance will begin negotiations with Saab to buy up to 10 GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft.

If the deal is finalized, Sweden-based Saab will have won the contract over U.S. alternatives such as the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail and L3Harris-modified AERIS platform. NATO states have increasingly signaled an intent to reallocate their increased defense spending amid sustained criticism from the Trump Administration—as evidenced by Canada's selection of the GlobalEye platform in May.

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