Saab Lands $1 Billion GlobalEye Order

The undisclosed Middle Eastern customer will receive two business-jet-based surveillance aircraft in 2030.

Saab Lands $1 Billion GlobalEye Order
[Credit: Saab]
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Key Takeaways:

  • Saab secured a $1.04 billion order from an undisclosed Middle Eastern country for two GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, with deliveries scheduled for 2030.
  • The GlobalEye system is built on a Bombardier Global 6000/6500 business jet platform, incorporating advanced multi-domain sensors like the Erieye Extended Range radar for detecting airborne, maritime, and ground targets.
  • This latest contract underscores increasing international interest in the GlobalEye, following recent orders or selections from France, NATO, and Canada, complementing five aircraft previously delivered to the UAE.
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Saab announced Monday that it received an order for two GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft from an undisclosed Middle Eastern country. The contract is valued at 10.1 billion Swedish kronor, or about $1.04 billion, and calls for both aircraft to be delivered in 2030. Saab said it will not identify the customer due to national security considerations.

Business Jet Platform

GlobalEye uses aircraft from Bombardier’s Global 6000/6500 family as its platform. Saab installs its Erieye Extended Range radar, additional active and passive sensors and a command-and-control system designed to detect and identify airborne, maritime and ground targets.

Saab lists an operational endurance of more than 12 hours and an instrumented sensor range exceeding 350 nautical miles. The aircraft can operate from runways measuring about 6,500 feet, according to the company. A 10-meter Erieye radar antenna is housed in the structure mounted above the fuselage.

GlobalEye Orders Expand

“This order underscores our commitment to providing customers with mission-proven, multi-domain AEW&C capability,” Saab President and CEO Micael Johansson said in the company’s announcement.

Saab said international interest in the aircraft has continued to increase.

The new contract follows France’s December 2025 order for two GlobalEye aircraft. NATO announced this month that it would begin negotiations with Saab for as many as 10 aircraft, while Canada selected the company as its preferred supplier in May. Saab previously delivered five GlobalEyes to the United Arab Emirates.

Matt Ryan

Matt is AVweb's lead editor. His eyes have been turned to the sky for as long as he can remember. Now a fixed-wing pilot, instructor and aviation writer, Matt also leads and teaches a high school aviation program in the Dallas area. Beyond his lifelong obsession with aviation, Matt loves to travel and has lived in Greece, Czechia and Germany for studies and for work.
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