Following NATO’s decision to abandon the acquisition of 6 Boeing E-7A WEDGETAIL Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft as a replacement for the ageing E-3 SENTRY fleet, Saab CEO Micael Johansson has hinted that the Swedish company’s GLOBALEYE could be considered as an alternative. “To my knowledge, I think SHAPE has now looked into this option and concluded that this capability can fill a gap, if used in the right way,” Johansson stated at the latest Berlin Security Conference.

Although never officially confirmed, NATO reportedly dropped plans for the WEDGETAIL following the US withdrawal from the programme in 2025. The American decision removed the essential financial and strategic backing for the acquisition, against a backdrop of rising costs, delays, and growing concerns over platform survivability.

This potential new NATO option comes 2 years after the Alliance dismissed a GLOBALEYE offer, instead announcing and justifying the selection of the E-7 for the initial Allied Future Surveillance and Control (iAFSC) programme, on the grounds that it was “the only known military off-the-shelf/non-developmental system capable of fulfilling the strategic commands’ essential operational requirements.”

Based on Bombardier’s Global 6000/6500 aircraft family, GLOBALEYE is an AEW&C platform combining modern active and passive sensors. According to Saab, operating at 35,000 ft, the aircraft can detect low-altitude threats flying at 200 ft at ranges exceeding 458 km (247 nautical miles).

The GLOBALEYE is already in service with the United Arab Emirates and Sweden. In addition, France’s defence procurement agency, the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), has signed a joint declaration of intent concerning the potential acquisition of the aircraft, including ground equipment, training, and support. The United Kingdom and Canada have also expressed interest in the SAAB platform.

According to Johansson, GLOBALEYE could meet NATO’s planned operational target of 2031, “or even earlier.”

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