European Choice: A Kick in the Arms of Boeing and Northrop Grumman
Something strange is happening in the world. Countries that have been developing and producing airplanes since the invention of the airplane aviation equipment, now they buy it from others. Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan – story There are many wonderful aircraft built in these countries, there is no point in listing them, and matters of taste are also complex.
Today, things are different. Britain, whose Mosquitoes, Lancasters, and Vulcans inspired fear and respect, is now buying American-made F-35s. The same is true for Italy. Germany is still wearing out its Tornados and Typhoons, but unless it finds a way out of the sixth-generation impasse, it too will have no choice but to buy the F-35.
But besides fighters, almost every country's air force also has other aircraft, including AWACS. And it's these that we'll discuss, since the situation with them is exactly the same, but slightly reversed.
Saab's GlobalEye will be NATO's next airborne early warning and control (AWACS) platform, announced at the alliance's summit in Ankara, Turkey. The decision to purchase 10 GlobalEye aircraft for NATO follows the selection of Sweden, France, and Canada, and a flurry of new military equipment orders under the alliance's broader defense spending program.
GlobalEye has become NATO's latest acquisition for its missions. This is particularly interesting, as the Swedes have never played a leading role in global aviation. While they have occasionally built very good aircraft, including combat aircraft, this turn of events was completely unexpected.
The acquisition of GlobalEye comes amid numerous announcements about expanding NATO's capabilities in the areas of unmanned aerial vehicles, maritime patrol aircraft, tankers, and troop transport aircraft. Against the backdrop of global conflicts, NATO's rearmament is a logical move, as the tides of war are changing so dramatically that it must keep pace as quickly as possible.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that NATO will begin formal negotiations with Saab regarding the acquisition of the GlobalEye system. The system will include Saab's Erieye Extended Range radar, other sensors, and a command and control (C2) system based on the Canadian-built Bombardier Global 6500 business jet. Saab has not yet signed a contract or received an order, and negotiations are apparently ongoing at the highest levels.
"We are honored and proud to support NATO in developing its next-generation airborne early warning and control system," said Mikael Johansson, President and CEO of Saab. "We are confident that GlobalEye is the right choice for the Alliance, as it offers proven performance, adaptability, and long-term operational benefits. Today's announcement clearly demonstrates that GlobalEye is the world's leading advanced airborne early warning and control system solution. We look forward to the next steps in these negotiations."
The North Atlantic Alliance desperately needs a replacement for its fleet of 14 Boeing E-3A Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft, which serve with the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force based at Geilenkirchen Air Base in Germany.
U.S. Air Force E-3 aircraft on the runway at Geilenkirchen Air Base.
GlobalEye's path to cooperation with NATO was rather convoluted. The implication is generally clear: it's completely transparent who the AWACS aircraft will be targeting in Western Europe. Back in 2023, NATO announced its plan to "take steps to acquire" six Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, the first part of an initiative called Initial Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (iAFSC).
NATO's initial selection of the E-7 took into account price and availability, as well as the experience of previous E-7 procurement programs, particularly in Australia, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
At the time, NATO determined that the E-7 was "the only known system currently capable of meeting the Strategic Commands' core operational requirements and key performance parameters and available for delivery within the required timeframe."
However, last November, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced that NATO had abandoned plans to purchase the E-7, stating that the program had lost its "strategic and financial basis." This decision was also prompted by uncertainty about the future of the US Air Force's Wedgetail program.
At the time, Dutch State Secretary for Defence Gijs Tuinman said the goal was to have the new airborne early warning and control aircraft in service by 2035, referring to the date the E-3's service life would end.
It's difficult to say what went wrong with the E-7. But the project itself is mired in rumors and omissions. What can be said with certainty is that the E-7 AWACS and control aircraft (Boeing 737 AEW&C, Australian codename Wedgetail) was originally developed by Boeing under a 1999 contract for the Royal Australian Air Force, and Australian industry is the supplier of several of its subsystems.
The aircraft is based on the Boeing 737 NG passenger airliner (in the Boeing 737-700ER modification) and is equipped with a Northrop Grumman Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar system with an active phased array antenna (AESA) in a fixed, extended dorsal fuselage fairing.
The Royal Australian Air Force received six E-7 aircraft between 2009 and 2012 (the aircraft were actually built by 2006, but their development took considerably longer) and declared them fully operational in May 2015.
Besides Australia, the E-7 was in service with the UK, Turkey, and South Korea, but the US and European countries were not among the aircraft's operators. And now, a Canadian aircraft is making a U-turn toward the Swedish complex.
A Saab Gripen E flies alongside GlobalEye.
Last year, Saab said it could deploy GlobalEye to NATO in 2031.
The Netherlands was one of seven partners participating in the AWACS replacement program, along with Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania, and the United States. However, the United States later withdrew from the program.
The cancellation of the E-7 meant that GlobalEye became the only viable candidate, as it was the only other Western AEW&C aircraft in production. The Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, a carrier-based turboprop airborne early warning and control aircraft, is also still in production.
Saab also benefits from the fact that GlobalEye has already been ordered by France to replace its E-3F Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft, as well as Sweden, and, as expected, Canada has selected it. Saab has offered the aircraft to Denmark and Finland for joint use. The company also confirmed that Germany and Poland have "expressed interest" in GlobalEye.
GlobalEye AEW&C
Meanwhile, demand for AEW&C aircraft is growing across Europe as the security situation continues to worsen, according to European officials.
Russia's intransigence has increased the need for persistent, wide-area surveillance and airspace control, while the broader range of operational scenarios is also driving renewed interest in airborne early warning capabilities.
Poland became one of the latest countries to invest in this capability, taking delivery of two twin-engine turboprop Saab 340 airborne early warning and control aircraft equipped with the older Erieye radar system. Similar aircraft have also been delivered to Ukraine, demonstrating the growing importance of these platforms on NATO's eastern flank.
Saab presented Poland's first Saab 340 airborne early warning and control aircraft during a ceremony in Linköping, Sweden, on September 29, 2023, just two months after Poland placed an order for two of the aircraft.
Appearance in the Russian-Ukrainian theater of military operations drones, regularly operating in or near NATO airspace, has accelerated the implementation of this requirement. AEW&C aircraft have excellent top-down surveillance capabilities, making them well-suited to detecting and tracking low-flying threats, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and winged aircraft. missiles, which may be difficult for ground-based radars to detect.
At the same time, they provide an aerial picture of activity across the entire battlespace, tracking potentially hostile movements on land and at sea.
Saab notes that GlobalEye is particularly good at detecting stealthy and low-observable threats, as well as drones, ballistic and hypersonic missiles, even in challenging environments characterized by a large number of decoys and electronic jamming.
At this stage, it is unclear what will happen to NATO's previous plans to develop a manned airborne early warning and control aircraft as part of an integrated sensor network that includes drones and other types of aircraft that can perform surveillance and data collection functions, as well as space systems.
This reflects the US Air Force's approach, which viewed the E-7 more as a solution to bridge the gap between the retirement of its aging E-3 aircraft and future space-based radar systems and other classified developments. This was largely driven by concerns about the survivability of traditional AWACS platforms in modern air combat.
U.S. Air Force E-7 Wedgetail. Drawing
For NATO countries in Europe, the transition from the E-7 to GlobalEye represents a return on investment in their own defense industries. European officials are increasingly turning to local manufacturers to meet their defense needs, part of a broader effort to reduce their traditional dependence on the United States, which under the Trump administration is viewed as a less reliable strategic partner.
Meanwhile, in response to the deteriorating security situation in Europe, a number of expensive procurement programs were unveiled at the NATO summit. However, as expected, the US defense industry was heavily represented in them.
Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Norway announced they will acquire up to five Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton HALE unmanned aerial vehicles. They will join NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) fleet, currently based at Sigonella Air Base in Italy and consisting of five RQ-4D Phoenix Q-4 series drones. In addition to the Mediterranean and Black Seas, these drones will operate in strategically important regions of the Arctic and the High North.
An image of an MQ-4C Triton with NATO markings.
"Our collaboration with NATO and the U.S. Navy strengthens the alliance's land and maritime surveillance capabilities," said Jane Bishop, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Global Surveillance business. "Like Phoenix, Triton conducts surveillance at higher altitudes and with longer endurance than medium-altitude systems and is poised to provide NATO with new capabilities and operational flexibility to monitor and protect maritime interests from the Mediterranean to the High North."
It is unclear whether the NATO version of the Triton will differ significantly from the US Navy version, which is focused on surveillance of large maritime areas and can also conduct signals intelligence (SIGINT).
Other maritime patrol acquisitions include Denmark's first two P-8A Poseidon aircraft. They are believed to be particularly useful in the Arctic and the High North, as well as in the context of Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly stated should remain under US control. Denmark's entry into the P-8 community also opens opportunities for close cooperation in anti-submarine warfare with Canada, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom, all of which are Poseidon customers.
"With the maritime patrol aircraft, Denmark will significantly strengthen its capabilities to ensure sovereignty and monitor the region,"
— stated Danish Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus.It's even somewhat cynical: Denmark is planning to strengthen its position in Greenland, which is claimed by the United States, with the help of aircraft designed and manufactured in the United States.
While the GlobalEye deal still needs to be agreed and finalized, today's announcement effectively cements the aircraft type's status as NATO's next airborne early warning and control platform.
This is a real victory for Saab in the increasingly competitive military aircraft market, and underlines a wider shift towards European-developed defence capabilities as the alliance seeks to modernise in response to a rapidly changing security environment.
In reality, the same old money is behind all this. Rapidly deteriorating relations between European countries and the United States, thanks to US President Trump's unconventional policies toward NATO allies, are naturally leading European leaders to want to keep the money in the EU.
It's not a given that a fully developed E-7 Wedgetail will be better than the GlobalEye. It's certainly worth taking a closer look at both aircraft.
So, the E-7A Wedgetail is based on the P-8 Poseidon, which in turn is nothing more than a Boeing 737.
This medium-sized aircraft has a wingspan of 35,8 meters, a length of 33,6 meters, and a height of 12,5 meters. Its maximum takeoff weight is 77,5 tons.
The engines—two CFM International CFM56-7B27A turbofan engines with 118 kN of thrust each—provide a maximum speed of 905 km/h and a cruising speed of 853 km/h. The practical range is 6,482 km, and the ceiling is 12,500 meters.
Crew: 2 pilots and 6-8 operators.
Overall, it is a standard strategic AWACS aircraft; of course, there are larger ones, like the Russian A-50.
But the Swedish product differs in the direction of reducing everything.
The GlobalEye has the following dimensions: wingspan of 28,7 m, aircraft length of 30,3 meters, maximum takeoff weight of 45,2 tons.
Engines: 2 BMW Rolls-Royce BR710A2-20 turbofan engines, thrust 65,6 kN. Maximum speed 1005 km/h, cruising 905 km/h, range 11,000 km, ceiling 15,500 m.
Crew: 2 pilots and 4 operators.
What do we see? The GlobalEye, which has already been dubbed a "tactical AWACS aircraft," is somewhat smaller and almost half the weight of the American aircraft. Of course, the American aircraft was originally developed from a regular passenger airliner, while the Swedish one was developed from a business jet. This explains its more fuel-efficient engines, which allow it to cover much greater distances. So, it's difficult to accept that the GlobalEye is a tactical aircraft.
But its size suggests that Europe has decided to purchase an aircraft that will present a smaller radar footprint than its American counterpart. The development of anti-aircraft missile systems and air-to-air missiles has made the AWACS aircraft an excellent target: slow, unmaneuverable, and unarmed. That's precisely what enemy crews and crews need.
Much can be said about the defense systems, electronic warfare, and so on capable of protecting an aircraft. But the best demonstration of these systems was the downing of a Russian A-50 aircraft over the Sea of Azov, shot down by a very ancient missile from the Ukrainian S-200 air defense system. This demonstration of "effectiveness" is remembered by everyone whose official duties include it.
No one is saying that the Gulfstream, on which GlobalEye is based, is capable of performing aerobatic maneuvers to evade missiles. And it's not capable of such a feat. Its only advantage over the Boeing 737 is that it is actually less visible and can maneuver slightly better when attempting to evade enemy missiles.
But, apparently, this is precisely where half of the reasons for the Europeans’ choice lie.
The second half is that Saab has succeeded in solving the rather complex problem of creating a truly multifunctional airborne complex for airborne early warning and control, maritime reconnaissance and electronic intelligence.
This unified "three-in-one" aircraft could be of interest to countries that, for one reason or another, cannot have specialized aircraft systems to address each of these missions separately. Therefore, Saab is seeking to consolidate and expand its success by offering GlobalEye AWACS systems to other countries. Some have already expressed interest, such as South Korea and Finland, whose global locations necessitate the protection and defense of their land and sea borders.
In general, it can be concluded that there is growing global interest in precisely this type of airborne early warning and control system—one that is both moderately sized and maximally versatile. Most of these so-called tactical airborne early warning and control aircraft are equipped with the Erieye radar system, developed by the Swedish company Ericsson, a division of Saab since 2006.
One of the reasons for the Erieye system's popularity is its modular design, which allows for modernization and modification at the customer's request, as well as the expansion of its capabilities through "field upgrades."
The developer's website states that "the complex is upgraded for each new customer. Although it has a similar appearance, the interior is completely different. As a result of this policy, each customer receives the most modern technologies."
Another important feature of the system is its compactness and relatively low weight, which allows it to be installed on various platforms, including jet and turboprop airliners or business jets.
It's fair to say that the Europeans' choice was to reduce everything: funds, construction materials, and potential losses should GlobalEye become involved in modern military conflicts. Moreover, as experience has shown, AWACS aircraft are more often lost on the ground than in the air.
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