Innovation meeting a global need
The story of GlobalEye is one of innovation, operational excellence and growing international recognition. Continuously evolving to meet emerging threats, GlobalEye helps nations maintain a lasting operational advantage.
The true value of any defence capability lies not only in its technical performance, but in its ability to deliver on its promise. Few examples illustrate this better than Saab's AEW&C solution GlobalEye.
Since its first flight in 2018, GlobalEye has evolved from a pioneering concept into a proven operational capability. What began with the UAE as the launch customer has expanded into a growing international programme, with Sweden acquiring three aircraft through the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration and France ordering two aircraft in 2025. In May 2026, Canada announced its intention to enter formal negotiations with Saab on a potential order. Just two months later, NATO revealed plans to acquire up to ten aircraft, selecting GlobalEye as the foundation of the Alliance's future AEW&C capability. This significant milestone reflects a broader recognition of the value that GlobalEye provides.
Further demonstrating the strong interest, an order for two GlobalEye aircraft was received from a country in the Middle East region in July.
Whether maintaining security in peacetime, managing a crisis or responding to conflict, nations depend on an accurate understanding of their operational environment to make informed decisions and act effectively.
It’s clear that GlobalEye has established itself as a benchmark for what modern AEW&C solutions can achieve. And with good reason. Advantage comes from being first to know and first to act.
Information as a strategic asset
At the heart of every informed decision lies information, one of the most valuable strategic assets a nation can have. As threats emerge and evolve at increasing speed, defence forces face an increasingly difficult task: creating and maintaining an accurate, real-time picture of the operational environment.
The answer lies not only in collecting information, but in transforming vast amounts of data into actionable intelligence. The ability to see beyond the horizon, understand faster and make more informed decisions has become a key advantage. This is the environment for which GlobalEye was created.
A complete picture across air, land and sea
Built on decades of innovation and Saab's world-class expertise, GlobalEye delivers reliable, high-performance detection across air, sea and land. With 12 hours of operational endurance, advanced sensors, long-range surveillance capabilities and multi-domain command and control systems, GlobalEye fuses data from multiple domains into a comprehensive operational picture.
By combining advanced sensing with AI-driven real-time analysis, GlobalEye continuously gathers, processes and shares information to build a real-time understanding of the operational environment. This enables it to detect, identify and track a wide range of objects and signals at distances of more than 300 nautical miles (650 km), providing defence forces with the situational awareness needed to act with confidence and precision. Building on this shared operational picture, GlobalEye enables effective coordination across the force and can direct and manage other assets, such as fighter aircraft, providing them with critical information on threats, targets, and when and where to act.
However, technology is only part of the story.
Collaboration beyond the contract
Most of Saab's major international programmes are built on long-term partnerships that extend far beyond the initial contract. Often spanning decades, these collaborations bring together industry, academia and government to create enduring value and strengthen capabilities over time.
GlobalEye is no exception. While technology and software design provide the foundation, close co-operation and knowledge exchange ensure lasting relevance as threats evolve. For many nations, GlobalEye marks the start of a long-term strategic partnership focused on capability development, sustained operational advantage and future readiness.