NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced at a defense industry forum in Ankara that the alliance will jointly procure up to 10 Swedish-made Saab GlobalEye surveillance aircraft to replace its aging fleet of E-3 Sentry AWACS planes. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed pride in the deal, stating the aircraft will operate from Swedish bases by 2027. The selection, made under NATO's initial Allied Future Surveillance and Control (iAFSC) project, comes five months after a group of allies abandoned a planned purchase of Boeing E-7A Wedgetail aircraft due to a loss of "strategic and financial foundations." The shift to the European solution followed the Trump administration's initial plan to cancel the E-7 program, though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later reversed course after pushback from lawmakers. Saab CEO Micael Johansson had previously indicated that NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) concluded the GlobalEye could fill a capability gap and meet the alliance's 2031 operational target. He also noted that Saab is investing to increase production at its Gothenburg hub, with potential support from French firm Sabena Technics. The announcement had been anticipated since French outlet La Lettre reported the selection in April, though neither NATO nor Saab confirmed it at the time. The deal follows Canada's talks with Saab for a GlobalEye acquisition and France's finalized purchase of two aircraft in December, with an option for two more. Saab literature describes the GlobalEye as a single platform for airborne, maritime, and ground surveillance, featuring an Erieye ER radar designed to operate in severe clutter and jamming environments.
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