Sweden’s Saab has explicitly denied reports that NATO awarded it a contract to supply GlobalEye aircraft for replacing the alliance’s aging E-3A Sentry AWACS fleet. The company confirmed no deal has been signed with NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).
French publication La Lettre claimed on April 21, 2026, that NSPA selected Saab and Bombardier to deliver GlobalEye platforms, ending a multi-year competition after Boeing’s E-7A Wedgetail was eliminated. Saab spokesperson Mattias Rådström stated the firm provided information to NATO but received no order, directing questions to the alliance.
The reported contract would replace all 14 E-3A aircraft with GlobalEye, based on Bombardier’s Global 6000 airframe and Saab’s Erieye Extended Range radar, offering detection over 550 kilometers across air, sea, and land. This shift marks the first non-Boeing NATO AWACS backbone in nearly 40 years, critical for alliance surveillance amid retiring E-3s.
Saab first proposed GlobalEye in February 2023 following NATO’s RFI, with CEO Micael Johansson noting potential 2031 operations or earlier. Recent French order for two GlobalEyes (with options) underscores platform demand, though NATO’s procurement status remains undisclosed.