LONDON – Saab, the Swedish manufacturing firm has received orders for two GlobalEye aircraft from the Swedish Air Force.
On June 30, the Swedish firm inked a contract with the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) for the world-leading GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft.
Under the signed deal, the Swedish authorities ordered two of the advanced GlobalEye aircraft. Deliveries are slated for the year 2027 with the value of this deal being approximately SEK 7.3 billion. Moreover, the contract also states the possibility of 2 more GlobalEyes.
Saab’s President and CEO Micael Johansson, said: “GlobalEye will provide Sweden with world-class airborne early warning and control capability. Saab’s most important mission is to keep people and societies safe, and I am proud that GlobalEye will further strengthen the Swedish Armed Forces’ capability,”
GlobalEye will increase Sweden’s compatibility in all domains of military power – air, naval and ground. The system intends to provide very strong and accurate early warning and control of all the military branches of the Kingdom. This means that the Air Force, Army and the Navy are fully connected to each other.
This will increase Sweden’s capability in situation awareness and the detection of early threats. Apart from its military application, the GlobalEye can also support civilian purposes, especially in the coordination of search and rescue missions, during natural disasters and larger accidents, both at sea and on land.
Saab’s new products are based on the Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft. The aircraft is equipped with the Erieye Extended Range radar, which has a range of more than 550 kilometres.
The radar itself is more than capable as they are equipped with advanced sensors and a command and control system suite. The Swedish manufacturer will develop the GlobalEye in Gothenburg, Linköping, Järfälla, Arboga and Luleå, Sweden, Tampere, Finland and Centurion, South Africa.
The reason behind Sweden’s order for the 2 GlobalEyes is probably the fact that they are going to join NATO after Turkey has finally voted to greenlight her membership to the defence union.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted many nations to beef up their security efforts, including Sweden. The GlobalEye will assist NATO’s effort in identifying threats from the far east and will improve security and stability in the Baltic region.
The GlobalEye is a relatively new product launched by SAAB. The potential customers are the Greek Airforce as its Mediterranean nation is now upgrading its military capabilities.
The Greek Air Force operated the Saab Erieye and is looking to upgrade it to the GlobalEye. Other users for the GlobalEye, are possible Brazil and Thailand, as both nations operate the Saab Gripen and the Saab 340 Erieye, these two nations are poised for an order in the future.
Currently, there are 3 active GlobalEye aircraft, operated by the United Arab Emirates Air Force, and 2 more are on order, slated for a 2025 delivery.
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