Saab received an order for GlobalEye. Europe will have to wait

Saab has announced that it has received an order for Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft. Two new GlobalEye aircraft are scheduled for delivery to the Middle East by 2030. The contract value is estimated at approximately one billion dollars.

“GlobalEye is an advanced, multi-domain AEW&C solution equipped with a range of active and passive sensors that provide long-range detection and identification of objects in the air, at sea, and on land. By providing real-time information to joint armed forces, GlobalEye enables enhanced situational awareness of the surrounding environment and early threat detection,” Saab stated in its announcement.

Interestingly, the company explicitly stated in the announcement that it would not disclose details regarding the transaction, including the name of the purchasing nation. Given the mention of the Middle East in the communication, it can be inferred that the country in question is the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Why? During Operation “Epic Fury,” reports surfaced indicating that Iran, in one of its many missile strikes, hit Emirati hangars housing early warning aircraft. Today’s contract may suggest that the UAE is replenishing losses linked to that specific attack.

This development could also have implications for countries expressing interest in purchasing this type of aircraft.

“The sale of GlobalEye to a customer in the Middle East is unsurprising, given the wartime situation in the Persian Gulf region. Likewise, the United Arab Emirates, located there, was the launch customer for this system and had previously ordered a total of five such systems. However, what is a success for Saab may paradoxically prove problematic for European countries, such as Poland. This is because it extends the waiting list for aircraft of this type. Poland is currently seeking, or at least should be seeking, early warning aircraft to replace the interim Saab 340 AEW platforms by around 2030. GlobalEye is one of the three proposals currently being offered to Warsaw,” said Maciej Szopa, senior editor at Defence24.