NATO to acquire up to 10 Saab GlobalEye

[Falcon26]

Interesting to find out if PAF has got the "ER" update on the radars we have in our Erieyes. If so the only difference between our planes and the GlobalEye would be the Searchwater Maritime radar and the Sea Sultans will have that anyway.

I am guessing in the new birds we ordered and the rebuild ones we obtained "ER"?

Highly doubtful that Pakistani Erieyes are equipped with the ER version.

 

[Falcon26]

Working more with Turkieye makes more sense for Pakistan given the level of possible technology transfer that is possible. It will be interesting to see in years to come, what if anything Turkieye does in light of Sea Sultan. Will Turkieye purchase the Sea Sultan, or will it want to develop its own solution from scratch, that will tell which way the relationship with Pakistan go in the long run, ie is Turkieye looking to become the next "China" for Pakistan, or it is prepared to give and take as platform partners.

Pakistan can make Turkey buying the Sea Sultan contingent on Pakistan buying KAAN and other Turkish platforms. The Sea Sultan is quite advanced in terms of capabilities and NATO compatible so there’s no excuse for Turkey not operating them.

But you are right in that this will determine whether the relationship is one-way or mutually beneficial. Pakistan has given Turkey scale for their landmark products by ordering them in significant numbers (Ada, Jinnah, drones, software etc etc), it’s time for Turkey to reciprocate.

 

[Colt_Six_Nine]

Additional Comments:

1. Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is currently reviewing the possibility of adding aerial refueling to the SAAB GlobalEye / Bombardier Global 6000/6500 air fame.

2. My understanding is that the F-35 uses something called a Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) to communicate with AEW&C while maintaining low observability. I do not believe the GlobalEye comes with MADL. It would be interesting to see if the Americans allow Canada/Europe to integrate the MADL into the GlobalEye program. Lack of MADL can potentially be an issue in the GlobalEye's overall capability to support NATO F-35s. (The future of Canada's order of 88 * F-35s is also surrounded by uncertainty as the Canadian government is revaluating its 2023 order of 88 * F-35s for the RCAF.)

The only down side I see with the SaaB GlodenEye is that it cant be refuelled mid air. This means it has to be replaced when on long patrols , potentially doubling the number of aircraft needed for 24 hour coastal security. Otherwise this is a fantastic aircraft for Canada and for other European nations. Maybe the next version will have refuelling capability.

Bombardier is Canada's own company. If a 8 - 12 jet NATO and a 5 - 6 jet RCAF order exists, aerial refueling can possibly be added.

The internet suggests the Saab GlobalEye has a ~11,000km range and a 11 to 13 hr flight time (without aerial refueling). That seems to be significantly more than the E-7 Wedgetail. But E-7 Wedgetail has refueling capability.

 

[Colt_Six_Nine]

Not in the numbers before the cancellation.

I believe the US Congress is sort of forcing the USAF to continue with the program. Which makes sense as USAF had to call in Aussie E-7 Wedgetail(s) in Iran.

 

[royalharris]

Pakistan can make Turkey buying the Sea Sultan contingent on Pakistan buying KAAN and other Turkish platforms. The Sea Sultan is quite advanced in terms of capabilities and NATO compatible so there’s no excuse for Turkey not operating them.

But you are right in that this will determine whether the relationship is one-way or mutually beneficial. Pakistan has given Turkey scale for their landmark products by ordering them in significant numbers (Ada, Jinnah, drones, software etc etc), it’s time for Turkey to reciprocate.

Weapons manufactured by Turkey are not a necessity for Pakistan, yet Pakistan still opted to procure Turkish armaments.
Now Turkey, in turn, is purchasing large quantities of weapons from Pakistan.