Saab rolls out Sweden’s first GlobalEye early warning aircraft to guard Baltic Sea and NATO’s northern flank
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On October 15, 2026, Saab presented the Swedish Air Force’s first S 106 GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft at its Linköping production facility. The rollout marks the official transition of aircraft number 061 into ground and flight testing prior to operational delivery, filling the surveillance gap left by Sweden’s donation of two ASC 890 aircraft to Ukraine. Based on the Bombardier Global 6000 airframe, the platform delivers multi-domain radar coverage across the Baltic Sea and northern Scandinavia to strengthen national and NATO airspace defense.
Sweden ordered two S 106 GlobalEye aircraft from Saab in June 2022, added a third in June 2024 after deciding to transfer its two ASC 890 surveillance aircraft to Ukraine, and accelerated GlobalEye deliveries in October 2024. (Picture source: Saab)
On October 15, 2026, Saab unveiled Sweden’s first S 106 GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, numbered 061, at its Linköping facility, where it will undergo ground and flight testing before being delivered to the Swedish Air Force. The aircraft is the first of three purchased for SEK 9.9 billion (€887.4 million) to replace the Saab 340 ASC 890 previously used for national airspace surveillance. This also follows Sweden’s decision to transfer two ASC 890 surveillance aircraft to Ukraine in 2024. Defence Minister Pål Jonson, Air Force Chief Major General Jonas Wikman and Saab CEO Micael Johansson attended the presentation.
Based on the Bombardier Global 6000, the S 106 GlobalEye combines an Erieye Extended Range radar with a 650 km instrumented range, maritime and ground surveillance sensors, and an endurance exceeding 11 hours. Its introduction also coincides with NATO’s decision to acquire up to ten GlobalEye aircraft, creating the prospect of joint surveillance operations. Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) ordered two GlobalEye aircraft in June 2022 for SEK 7.3 billion (€654.3 million) and a third in June 2024 for SEK 2.6 billion (€233.0 million), while retaining an option for a fourth.
Related topic: Netherlands signs Letter of Intent with Sweden to procure Saab GlobalEye early warning aircraft
The original delivery schedule called for two aircraft in 2027 and one in 2029, but Stockholm accelerated the program in October 2024 after announcing the transfer of its two older ASC 890s (also known as S 100B Argus and Saab 340 AEW&C) to Ukraine on May 29. The older S 100D Argus carried a PS-890 Erieye radar with a 300 to 400 km detection range, a 7,620 m service ceiling and an endurance exceeding five hours. Their replacement with three GlobalEyes extends individual missions beyond 11 hours and increases radar coverage, although three aircraft must still accommodate operational sorties, maintenance and training simultaneously. However, the new Swedish-Dutch arrangement could improve maintenance rotation and crew training, while Sweden’s new TP 106 government transport aircraft shares the same airframe, permitting commonality in certain maintenance procedures and spare parts.
The first two Swedish GlobalEyes will initially receive an interim configuration before receiving additional equipment, while the third is planned in the final configuration, but the precise differences and associated modification costs remain undisclosed. To create the S 106 GlobalEye, Saab converts a Canadian Bombardier Global 6000 long-range business jet at Linköping by reinforcing its fuselage and wings, installing the dorsal radar assembly, improving electrical generation and cooling capacity, and modifying the vertical stabilizer and ventral strakes. Established GlobalEye configurations incorporate five operator workstations, satellite communications, tactical data links, electronic surveillance equipment, as well as radar and laser warning receivers with countermeasure dispensers.
Sweden’s first aircraft appears to lack the external electro-optical/infrared sensor fairing fitted to Emirati GlobalEyes, and its vertical-tail profile also differs slightly. The Swedish fleet also uses the Global 6000 rather than the newer Global 6500, whose Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 engines, revised wing and avionics improve the underlying business jet’s maximum speed and range by 10%. The Erieye ER radar is housed in a 10 m dorsal assembly and uses an active electronically scanned array incorporating GaN transmitters/receivers, for an instrumented range of 350 nautical miles, equivalent to 648 km. At 10,668 m altitude, it can detect certain low-flying threats beyond 400 km, although actual detection depends on target radar cross-section, altitude, propagation, electronic interference, and the selected surveillance mode. Saab attributes a 70% increase in detection range compared with earlier Erieye radars, corresponding to a theoretical 2.89-fold increase in surveillance area for equivalent detection geometry.
The fixed antenna provides 300° azimuth coverage, with reduced coverage directly forward and aft of the aircraft. However, adaptive beam steering allows the radar to allocate additional observation time on selected contacts or sectors, supporting the tracking of low-altitude aircraft, drones, and cruise missiles against ground clutter and in jamming conditions. The GlobalEye’s sensor configuration also includes the Seaspray 7500E X-band maritime radar, which uses Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for surface imaging, Inverse SAR for vessel classification, and Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) for tracking moving vehicles. At sea, the combination of the Erieye ER and this maritime radar permits surveillance of ships, small boats, jet-skis, and periscope-sized contacts under suitable conditions, while passive ESM/ELINT receivers detect radar and communications emissions.
AIS receivers identify cooperative maritime traffic, while IFF and ADS-B support aircraft identification. Radar tracks, electronic emissions and identification data are combined at the mission workstations before transmission to fighter jets, naval units and ground-based air defense commands. The absence of the Emirati electro-optical installation on Sweden’s first aircraft is operationally relevant, as visual and infrared identification requirements cannot be assumed to be identical between the two nations, as Sweden maintains surveillance over the Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Bothnia and approaches to northern Scandinavia. Saab had secured 12 firm GlobalEye orders by October 16, 2026: five delivered to the UAE between 2020 and 2024, three for Sweden, two for France and two for an unidentified Middle Eastern customer.
France’s December 2025 contract is worth SEK 12.3 billion (€1.103 billion), with deliveries planned for 2029-2032, while the July 2026 Middle Eastern contract is valued at SEK 10.1 billion (€905.3 million), for delivery in 2030. Their respective contract-value averages are SEK 6.15 billion (€551.2 million) and SEK 5.05 billion (€452.6 million) per aircraft, compared with SEK 3.3 billion (€295.8 million) across Sweden’s three orders, although equipment and support differences prevent direct price comparisons. Additionally, Canada is negotiating for six aircraft, NATO up to ten and the Netherlands one, potentially increasing the combined order book to 29 aircraft if all negotiations result in contracts.
Saab is also pursuing an increase in annual GlobalEye production capacity from two to six aircraft, with delivery schedules dependent on airframe availability, mission-system integration and customer-specific configurations. Sweden’s S 106 introduction coincides with NATO’s decision on July 7, 2026, to purchase the GlobalEye, after reconsidering its November 2023 decision to purchase six Boeing E-7 Wedgetails to replace its E-3A Sentry fleet. The proposed acquisition covers up to ten GlobalEyes and involves eleven countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania and Sweden.
The Netherlands separately signed its own letter of intent on September 10, 2026, to acquire one aircraft for delivery in 2031, with Dutch crews potentially training alongside Swedish personnel from 2028. Sweden’s three aircraft, France’s two contracted aircraft and the proposed Dutch aircraft would form a fleet of six nationally owned European GlobalEyes, potentially increasing to 16 with NATO’s ten aircraft. Sweden is expected to become NATO’s first national GlobalEye operator, with its initial S 106 delivery planned for 2027, ahead of the proposed Dutch aircraft and the alliance’s future fleet.
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Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
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On October 15, 2026, Saab presented the Swedish Air Force’s first S 106 GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft at its Linköping production facility. The rollout marks the official transition of aircraft number 061 into ground and flight testing prior to operational delivery, filling the surveillance gap left by Sweden’s donation of two ASC 890 aircraft to Ukraine. Based on the Bombardier Global 6000 airframe, the platform delivers multi-domain radar coverage across the Baltic Sea and northern Scandinavia to strengthen national and NATO airspace defense.
Sweden ordered two S 106 GlobalEye aircraft from Saab in June 2022, added a third in June 2024 after deciding to transfer its two ASC 890 surveillance aircraft to Ukraine, and accelerated GlobalEye deliveries in October 2024. (Picture source: Saab)
On October 15, 2026, Saab unveiled Sweden’s first S 106 GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, numbered 061, at its Linköping facility, where it will undergo ground and flight testing before being delivered to the Swedish Air Force. The aircraft is the first of three purchased for SEK 9.9 billion (€887.4 million) to replace the Saab 340 ASC 890 previously used for national airspace surveillance. This also follows Sweden’s decision to transfer two ASC 890 surveillance aircraft to Ukraine in 2024. Defence Minister Pål Jonson, Air Force Chief Major General Jonas Wikman and Saab CEO Micael Johansson attended the presentation.
Based on the Bombardier Global 6000, the S 106 GlobalEye combines an Erieye Extended Range radar with a 650 km instrumented range, maritime and ground surveillance sensors, and an endurance exceeding 11 hours. Its introduction also coincides with NATO’s decision to acquire up to ten GlobalEye aircraft, creating the prospect of joint surveillance operations. Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) ordered two GlobalEye aircraft in June 2022 for SEK 7.3 billion (€654.3 million) and a third in June 2024 for SEK 2.6 billion (€233.0 million), while retaining an option for a fourth.
Related topic: Netherlands signs Letter of Intent with Sweden to procure Saab GlobalEye early warning aircraft
The original delivery schedule called for two aircraft in 2027 and one in 2029, but Stockholm accelerated the program in October 2024 after announcing the transfer of its two older ASC 890s (also known as S 100B Argus and Saab 340 AEW&C) to Ukraine on May 29. The older S 100D Argus carried a PS-890 Erieye radar with a 300 to 400 km detection range, a 7,620 m service ceiling and an endurance exceeding five hours. Their replacement with three GlobalEyes extends individual missions beyond 11 hours and increases radar coverage, although three aircraft must still accommodate operational sorties, maintenance and training simultaneously. However, the new Swedish-Dutch arrangement could improve maintenance rotation and crew training, while Sweden’s new TP 106 government transport aircraft shares the same airframe, permitting commonality in certain maintenance procedures and spare parts.
The first two Swedish GlobalEyes will initially receive an interim configuration before receiving additional equipment, while the third is planned in the final configuration, but the precise differences and associated modification costs remain undisclosed. To create the S 106 GlobalEye, Saab converts a Canadian Bombardier Global 6000 long-range business jet at Linköping by reinforcing its fuselage and wings, installing the dorsal radar assembly, improving electrical generation and cooling capacity, and modifying the vertical stabilizer and ventral strakes. Established GlobalEye configurations incorporate five operator workstations, satellite communications, tactical data links, electronic surveillance equipment, as well as radar and laser warning receivers with countermeasure dispensers.
Sweden’s first aircraft appears to lack the external electro-optical/infrared sensor fairing fitted to Emirati GlobalEyes, and its vertical-tail profile also differs slightly. The Swedish fleet also uses the Global 6000 rather than the newer Global 6500, whose Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 engines, revised wing and avionics improve the underlying business jet’s maximum speed and range by 10%. The Erieye ER radar is housed in a 10 m dorsal assembly and uses an active electronically scanned array incorporating GaN transmitters/receivers, for an instrumented range of 350 nautical miles, equivalent to 648 km. At 10,668 m altitude, it can detect certain low-flying threats beyond 400 km, although actual detection depends on target radar cross-section, altitude, propagation, electronic interference, and the selected surveillance mode. Saab attributes a 70% increase in detection range compared with earlier Erieye radars, corresponding to a theoretical 2.89-fold increase in surveillance area for equivalent detection geometry.
The fixed antenna provides 300° azimuth coverage, with reduced coverage directly forward and aft of the aircraft. However, adaptive beam steering allows the radar to allocate additional observation time on selected contacts or sectors, supporting the tracking of low-altitude aircraft, drones, and cruise missiles against ground clutter and in jamming conditions. The GlobalEye’s sensor configuration also includes the Seaspray 7500E X-band maritime radar, which uses Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for surface imaging, Inverse SAR for vessel classification, and Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) for tracking moving vehicles. At sea, the combination of the Erieye ER and this maritime radar permits surveillance of ships, small boats, jet-skis, and periscope-sized contacts under suitable conditions, while passive ESM/ELINT receivers detect radar and communications emissions.
AIS receivers identify cooperative maritime traffic, while IFF and ADS-B support aircraft identification. Radar tracks, electronic emissions and identification data are combined at the mission workstations before transmission to fighter jets, naval units and ground-based air defense commands. The absence of the Emirati electro-optical installation on Sweden’s first aircraft is operationally relevant, as visual and infrared identification requirements cannot be assumed to be identical between the two nations, as Sweden maintains surveillance over the Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Bothnia and approaches to northern Scandinavia. Saab had secured 12 firm GlobalEye orders by October 16, 2026: five delivered to the UAE between 2020 and 2024, three for Sweden, two for France and two for an unidentified Middle Eastern customer.
France’s December 2025 contract is worth SEK 12.3 billion (€1.103 billion), with deliveries planned for 2029-2032, while the July 2026 Middle Eastern contract is valued at SEK 10.1 billion (€905.3 million), for delivery in 2030. Their respective contract-value averages are SEK 6.15 billion (€551.2 million) and SEK 5.05 billion (€452.6 million) per aircraft, compared with SEK 3.3 billion (€295.8 million) across Sweden’s three orders, although equipment and support differences prevent direct price comparisons. Additionally, Canada is negotiating for six aircraft, NATO up to ten and the Netherlands one, potentially increasing the combined order book to 29 aircraft if all negotiations result in contracts.
Saab is also pursuing an increase in annual GlobalEye production capacity from two to six aircraft, with delivery schedules dependent on airframe availability, mission-system integration and customer-specific configurations. Sweden’s S 106 introduction coincides with NATO’s decision on July 7, 2026, to purchase the GlobalEye, after reconsidering its November 2023 decision to purchase six Boeing E-7 Wedgetails to replace its E-3A Sentry fleet. The proposed acquisition covers up to ten GlobalEyes and involves eleven countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania and Sweden.
The Netherlands separately signed its own letter of intent on September 10, 2026, to acquire one aircraft for delivery in 2031, with Dutch crews potentially training alongside Swedish personnel from 2028. Sweden’s three aircraft, France’s two contracted aircraft and the proposed Dutch aircraft would form a fleet of six nationally owned European GlobalEyes, potentially increasing to 16 with NATO’s ten aircraft. Sweden is expected to become NATO’s first national GlobalEye operator, with its initial S 106 delivery planned for 2027, ahead of the proposed Dutch aircraft and the alliance’s future fleet.
Explore More Defense News
• Land Defense News
• Naval Defense News
• Defense Aerospace News
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
