The Netherlands has signed a letter of intent with Sweden to acquire one Saab GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft, moving to address a gap in national airborne surveillance and command-and-control. The cooperation arrangement gives Dutch crews access to Swedish GlobalEye aircraft from 2028 for training and early use, while delivery of the Dutch aircraft is planned for 2031.
Saab has not received a formal order and no contract has been signed yet, leaving the deal at an intent stage rather than a final procurement. The arrangement also involves Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration and is structured around shared use within the GlobalEye ecosystem rather than an immediate standalone Dutch fleet.
The Netherlands currently relies on NATO’s ageing E-3 Sentry AWACS fleet for this mission, making the purchase part of a wider effort to modernise airborne early warning capabilities in Europe. Saab’s GlobalEye is designed to detect threats including drones and cruise missiles and to support both national and collective defence.