News · Business · Published 11 July 2026
NATO opens talks to buy up to 10 Saab GlobalEye aircraft
NATO has selected Saab’s airborne surveillance system for negotiations, a step the Swedish government says could support jobs and high-tech industry.
DailySweden Editorial Desk
Updated 01:23 · 3 min read
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NATO has chosen Saab’s GlobalEye airborne early warning and control system and will open negotiations to buy up to 10 aircraft, according to the Swedish government.
The selection was announced on 7 July at the NATO Summit in Ankara. It is an important step towards a purchase, but the government’s announcement makes clear that negotiations still have to take place.
GlobalEye combines surveillance sensors and a command-and-control system on a Bombardier Global aircraft platform. The government says the aircraft can stay airborne for more than 11 hours and is designed to provide situational awareness across the air, sea and land domains.
NATO has selected Saab’s airborne surveillance system for negotiations, a step the Swedish government says could support jobs and high-tech industry.
The system is intended to help detect and monitor threats including drones and missiles and support the control of military operations. NATO is planning to replace its existing fleet of airborne warning and control aircraft.
Business essentials
For Sweden, the decision has an industrial as well as a security dimension. The government expects a purchase to create work at Saab in development, integration, production and support. It also says Swedish subcontractors in high-tech manufacturing, IT and consultancy services would benefit over the system’s life cycle.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson described the selection as the result of years of cooperation between Swedish government agencies and Saab. Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said it demonstrated the international competitiveness of Swedish industry, while Defence Minister Pål Jonson highlighted the growing need to identify threats early.
What happens now
The government also presented the decision as part of a broader effort to strengthen defence production and cooperation within NATO and the European Union. It pointed to Sweden’s established defence industry and its role in joint procurement, production capacity and interoperability.
No final number of aircraft, purchase price or delivery timetable was announced. The next stage is for NATO and Saab to negotiate an agreement. Until those talks are completed, the announcement remains a selection for negotiations rather than a concluded order.
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