NATO to acquire up to 10 Saab GlobalEye

[Colt_Six_Nine]

NATO to acquire up to 10 Saab GlobalEye.

Canada is also looking at procuring up to 6 Saab GlobalEye in a separate order.

Both NATO and Canada have officially scrapped previous plans to buy the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail.

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NATO’s new Airborne Warning and Control System is announced

07 July 2026

During the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara on Tuesday (7 July 2026), 11 Allies announced the joint procurement of Saab GlobalEye aircraft as NATO’s new Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS). The decision marks a significant step in modernising NATO’s airborne surveillance and early warning capabilities by replacing part of the Alliance’s aging Boeing E-3 fleet.

The GlobalEye system will provide advanced, multi-domain surveillance across air, land and sea from a single platform. It will provide enhanced detection and tracking of complex threats, including drone swarms, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles. The aircraft will strengthen NATO’s situational awareness and support operations.

The project is an example of close transatlantic industrial cooperation, with European and Canadian industry in the lead and important contributions from U.S. companies. In parallel, eight Allies also launched a new cooperative project to field airborne early warning capabilities to meet their national requirements.

NATO’s new Airborne Warning and Control System is among many capability and industrial commitments being unveiled at the Ankara Summit, demonstrating concrete progress in strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence.

The 11 Allies of this coalition are Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, and Sweden.

NATO’s new Airborne Warning and Control System is announced

During the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara on Tuesday (7 July 2026), 11 Allies announced the joint procurement of Saab GlobalEye aircraft as NATO’s new Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS). The decision marks a significant step in modernising NATO’s airborne surveillance and...

www.nato.int

 

[Colt_Six_Nine]

A sustained SAAB AEW&C supply chain benefits PAF's SAAB 2000 Erieyes as well.

 

[Colt_Six_Nine]

Apart from NATO's worry on U.S. reliance, the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail cancellation was also linked to uncertainty relating USAF's own E-7 Wedgetail order. USAF cancelled and then partially restored their own E-7 Wedgetail orders. Approx. 15 E-7 Wedgetails currently fly with Australia, Turkey, South Korea and UK.

 

[Yasser76]

Interesting to see NATO split on AEW. Trump did this.

In past it would have been no brainer for everyone to adopt E-7. That way upgrades and R&D costs shared (mostly by US), manpower, training spares all pooled. A French or UK E-3 in the past could hand off to a USAF or NATO E-3 on ops, US had manpower to share for NATO, joint upgrades (to avionics and engines) were US funded.


Now it will be Turkiye, UK and US on one side with E-7 and rest of NATO with Erieye

 

[_NOBODY_]

Interesting to see NATO split on AEW. Trump did this.

In past it would have been no brainer for everyone to adopt E-7. That way upgrades and R&D costs shared (mostly by US), manpower, training spares all pooled. A French or UK E-3 in the past could hand off to a USAF or NATO E-3 on ops, US had manpower to share for NATO, joint upgrades (to avionics and engines) were US funded.


Now it will be Turkiye, UK and US on one side with E-7 and rest of NATO with Erieye

Türkiye will eventually move onto its own domestic AEW&C platform so that leaves only the US and the UK.

 

[RescueRanger]

Great development to be honest. W NATO.

 

[Yasser76]

Great development to be honest. W NATO.

Amazing to see Swedes corner the market in terms of Western AEW. France could very well be next GlobalEye customer after Canada

That will see Erieye/GlobalEye in service with 12 countries plus NATO versus with just 4 customers

 

[RescueRanger]

Amazing to see Swedes corner the market in terms of Western AEW. France could very well be next GlobalEye customer after Canada

That will see Erieye/GlobalEye in service with 12 countries plus NATO versus with just 4 customers

NATO needs kit injections like, they have been sleeping in terms of defence spending since the cold war, and alas most of the funding that should have gone to European armies ended up in Ukraine.

 

[FuturePAF]

Amazing to see Swedes corner the market in terms of Western AEW. France could very well be next GlobalEye customer after Canada

That will see Erieye/GlobalEye in service with 12 countries plus NATO versus with just 4 customers

This confidence in the platform will probably also mean the global eye will be adopted by many of the gulf Air Forces, a boost to Pakistan in any inter-operability scenario.

Saab upgrades down the line with get good R&D funding out of all these deals.

 

[Yasser76]

This confidence in the platform will probably also mean the global eye will be adopted by many of the gulf Air Forces, a boost to Pakistan in any inter-operability scenario.

Saab upgrades down the line with get good R&D funding out of all these deals.

Yeah, 2019 and 2025 PAF use may have helped sales efforts here....

 

[Ali_Baba]

A sustained SAAB AEW&C supply chain benefits PAF's SAAB 2000 Erieyes as well.

Also - i do wish that PAF does not give up with the Erieye in the future and maybe one days gets(or upgrades its variants) to the new GlobalEye standard one day.

 

[Ali_Baba]

Türkiye will eventually move onto its own domestic AEW&C platform so that leaves only the US and the UK.

Interesting point - and maybe on day when that happens, the E7s can get sold to the UK to bring the UK fleet to a proper fleet size !!!!

 

[Ali_Baba]

Amazing to see Swedes corner the market in terms of Western AEW. France could very well be next GlobalEye customer after Canada

That will see Erieye/GlobalEye in service with 12 countries plus NATO versus with just 4 customers

France ordered the GlobalEye in Dec 2025 -> https://www.saab.com/newsroom/press-releases/2025/saab-receives-order-for-globaleye-from-france

 

[Ali_Baba]

It was the PAF that put the Erieye platform on the global stage with its massive order and its effectiveness in Sindoor.

Hope Saab does not forget that in its futures dealings with Pakistan, and "bed time promises" from India.

 

[Yasser76]

Interesting point - and maybe on day when that happens, the E7s can get sold to the UK to bring the UK fleet to a proper fleet size !!!!

Crazy state of affairs, UK paid for 5 E-7 kits, but ended up only purchasing 3 airframes, just in order to save less them a couple of hundred million.