NATO to acquire up to 10 Saab GlobalEye

[Colt_Six_Nine]

Hello
In the Dec/25 I read a article on the Saab purchase, the RCAF were quoted “Were working with Bombardier to build that in-flight refuelling capability onto the Global 6000, because I don’t think we’re the only customer that would be looking for that” So mid-air refuelling isn’t off the table yet.

With ~20 GlobalEye orders and options for 3-4 more, it would make sense to upgrade the platform with in-flight refueling.

NATO: ~10 aircraft
Canada: ~6 aircraft (pending final decision)
Sweden: 3 aircraft, 1 option
France : 2 aircraft, 2 option

 

[Colt_Six_Nine]

Some interior photos from press kit:

 

[Yasser76]

Which parts are not ITAR free ( kind of disappointing to hear this, you would have thought Pakistan would have learnt something by now .. ).

Erieye, SAAB 2000 and its radar is ITAR free 100%

Globaleye may not be as some components in the Global 6000 may be US.

Obviously when it comes to adding on data links it gets complicated but think PAF resolved this

PAF made an excellent choice

 

[Ali_Baba]

Erieye, SAAB 2000 and its radar is ITAR free 100%

Globaleye may not be as some components in the Global 6000 may be US.

Obviously when it comes to adding on data links it gets complicated but think PAF resolved this

PAF made an excellent choice

PAF made a good choice with Erieye for sure, the fact that both France and NATO is echoing that choice reinforces that decision.

Could we see India try and get the Globaleye to plug capability gaps? I suspect not given how PAF knows the platform but it is not unusual for Pakistan/India to operate similar equipment from the same manufacturer ( ie Agosta / Scorpene submarines ).

 

[Yasser76]

PAF made a good choice with Erieye for sure, the fact that both France and NATO is echoing that choice reinforces that decision.

Could we see India try and get the Globaleye to plug capability gaps? I suspect not given how PAF knows the platform but it is not unusual for Pakistan/India to operate similar equipment from the same manufacturer ( ie Agosta / Scorpene submarines ).

That would be insane, they would be operating 3 different systems, but having said that, nothing surprises me about them anymore......

For sure at 2019 and 2025 showed they have major availability issues with their current fleet

 

[Ali_Baba]

That would be insane, they would be operating 3 different systems, but having said that, nothing surprises me about them anymore......

For sure at 2019 and 2025 showed they have major availability issues with their current fleet

The Israeli/Russian system basically doesn't work partially due to availability and partially the hodgepodge nature of the platform. The Netra is an unknown but given how much experience India has in home grown radar technology, I wouldn't dismiss the Netra lightly imho.

The logical choice would be the E-7 Wedgetail for them given the commonality with the P8i platform and I am surprised that they have not already gone down that road.

 

[Yasser76]

The Israeli/Russian system basically doesn't work partially due to availability and partially the hodgepodge nature of the platform. The Netra is an unknown but given how much experience India has in home grown radar technology, I wouldn't dismiss the Netra lightly imho.

The logical choice would be the E-7 Wedgetail for them given the commonality with the P8i platform and I am surprised that they have not already gone down that road.

Yeah, with their Predators and P-8s I really thought they would have gone for E-7 too, just it would have been impossible to data link with any of their planes bar the few Rafales.

IL-76 was a bizarre choice to host their Phalcons, very bizarre.

 

[Watandar]

Yeah, with their Predators and P-8s I really thought they would have gone for E-7 too, just it would have been impossible to data link with any of their planes bar the few Rafales.

IL-76 was a bizarre choice to host their Phalcons, very bizarre.

India may eventually go down the E-7 route not only for these reasons but also as a form of patching up with the US.

 

[BonPlan]

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

Turkey has so many projects.... The AEW&C market remains narrow, and already well occuped. No way.

 

[Colt_Six_Nine]

The Israeli/Russian system basically doesn't work partially due to availability and partially the hodgepodge nature of the platform. The Netra is an unknown but given how much experience India has in home grown radar technology, I wouldn't dismiss the Netra lightly imho.

The logical choice would be the E-7 Wedgetail for them given the commonality with the P8i platform and I am surprised that they have not already gone down that road.

The absence of E-7 Wedgetail is probably related to not too many Western/American fighters in the IAF fleet. I believe they would have signed up for it already if the F/A-18 or F-16 won MMRCA.

 

[Yasser76]

The absence of E-7 Wedgetail is probably related to not too many Western/American fighters in the IAF fleet. I believe they would have signed up for it already if the F/A-18 or F-16 won MMRCA.

Yeah, and once you count Israeli and Western subsystems and throw on their homegrown stuff it really is a massive clusterf**k mix of stuff. I think their biggest challenge will be creating one true network that can talk to AEW, SAMS, Fighterst metc

 

[Ali_Baba]

Yeah, and once you count Israeli and Western subsystems and throw on their homegrown stuff it really is a massive clusterf**k mix of stuff. I think their biggest challenge will be creating one true network that can talk to AEW, SAMS, Fighterst metc

Even if India decides today to create its own datalink as a competitor to the Link17, by the time it has developed it, upgraded its C&C for it, and it fleet of fighters and SAM systems and everything that needs to be linked together you are talking at least one decade to achieve that minimum, if not longer.

Link17 has been a multi-decade project for the PAF to get to where it is now. The Indian system right now looks like the dogs dinner in reverse.

 

[Yasser76]

Even if India decides today to create its own datalink as a competitior to the Link17, by the time it has developed it, upgraded its C&C for it, and it fleet of fighters and SAM systems and everything that needs to be linked together you are talking at least one decade to achieve that minimum, if not longer.

Link17 has been a multi-decade project for the PAF to get to where it is now.

Yup, at the minimum, and remember they will not be allowed to tamper with any of their US stuff so P-8s, MH-60s, Apaches etc will be excluded.

 

[Ali_Baba]

The absence of E-7 Wedgetail is probably related to not too many Western/American fighters in the IAF fleet. I believe they would have signed up for it already if the F/A-18 or F-16 won MMRCA.

The Indians are planning on going big with the Rafales, and they also have a fleet of Mirages so the E7s can integrate with them and form a high quality integrated "pod" of capability. 150( i have not kept track) odd Rafales in total that they are planning alone can justify a fleet of E7 to back them up. The UK has 4-5 for the same fleet size of Typhoons and F-35s.

This can form as a capability bridge, until they get their own link up and running and integrated onto their own platforms and their existing Russian fleet.

All this of course assumes that the Indian's apply some "common sense" in their procurement programmes, which "thankfully" they have demonstrated that they cannot!

 

[Yasser76]

The Indians are planning on going big with the Rafales, and they also have a fleet of Mirages so the E7s can integrate with them and form a high quality integrated "pod" of capability. 150( i have not kept track) odd Rafales in total that they are planning alone can justify a fleet of E7 to back them up. The UK has 4-5 for the same fleet size of Typhoons and F-35s.

This can form as a capability bridge, until they get their own link up and running and integrated onto their own platforms and their existing Russian fleet.

Yeah, I would say that seems like a feasible plan for them. Rafale/E-7 should be fairly straight forward. Unsure of the Mirages,, even for strike, but they may carry on flogging them, but in air to air they now lag with just the MICA.

114+28 = 142 Rafales so you are close. If these Rafales are flaying as part of packages though they will need to communicate with other aircraft types, a weak link PAF exploited last year. Else they will just have to have all Rafale packages for strike and top cover. Still a very strong threat