NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization (OAN, Geilenkirchen) will launch formal negotiations with Saab (Sweden) for the acquisition of up to ten GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft based on the Global 6500, the alliance's secretary general, Mark Rutte, announced at a summit in Ankara, Türkiye.
The GlobalEye is set to replace NATO's current fleet of fourteen B707-300(E-3A) AEW&C aircraft, which have been in service since 1982 and have an average age of 44 years. In 2023, the military alliance selected Boeing's E-7 Wedgetail, based on the B737NG platform, but abandoned the plan in late 2025 after Washington sought to scale back the programme in favour of space-based surveillance capabilities.
Speaking to the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, Saab chief executive Micael Johansson said deliveries could begin in 2030 if an agreement is reached soon. Eleven NATO member states support the planned acquisition, including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, and Sweden.
A NATO order for the GlobalEye would end over four decades of reliance on United States-developed AEW&C systems, with the Sweden-based defence company prevailing over proposals by L3Harris Technologies' and Israel Aerospace Industries' ELTA Systems AERIS X AEW&C solution, which is also based on the Global 6500.
Earlier in 2026, the government of Canada also entered discussions with Saab to acquire six GlobalEye aircraft for Royal Canadian Air Force AEW&C missions after committing to reduce reliance on United States defence contractors.
The United Arab Emirates Air Force currently operates five GlobalEye aircraft. Future operators include the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air), with two aircraft on order and options for two more, and the Swedish Air Force, which has ordered three aircraft with an option for a fourth. Other known prospective customers engaged in active negotiations include Denmark, Egypt, Finland, and Germany.
