Saab Shows Off GlobalEye At Farnborough

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Saab recently detailed the progress of its GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning and Control system at the Farnborough International Airshow. (Photo courtesy of Saab.)

Saab recently appeared at the Farnborough International Airshow to detail the achievements of its GlobalEye AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) platform since its introduction several years ago. Integrated into a Bombardier Global 6000 jet, GlobalEye uses various sensor and radar systems to enable “true swing role,” or multiple-role, surveillance abilities, meaning commanders can use the intelligence it provides to manage a combination of air, sea, and land operations.

Order For Three

In November 2015, the UAE (United Arab Emirates) awarded Saab a contract to develop and produce two GlobalEye systems. Last year, the UAE added a third order for the system, which Saab describes as offering “extended detection range, endurance, and the ability to perform multiple roles” from one platform. Those roles include search and rescue, border surveillance, and military-related operations. In a statement, Lars Tossman, Saab’s head of airborne surveillance systems, says the company rolled GlobalEye out and had it ready to fly in just over two years. He adds that GlobalEye’s flight test program is on schedule, “with the flight envelope being opened up, whilst on the ground the mission system completed all its rig testing.”

A NATO Future?

According to various reports, Saab has been exploring the possibility of the GlobalEye AEW&C platform replacing the Boeing E-3A AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) platform that NATO currently uses. Tossman has indicated that Saab is in early discussions with NATO, which is looking to replace its fleet of E-3A systems by around 2035.

Saab sees the international surveillance market as one that’s expanding due in part to a shifting political landscape and tensions in Russia and China, something Tossman said GlobalEye can tackle. “We have quite serious dialogues ongoing both in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas because the interest in surveillance has increased,” Shepard Media quotes Tossman as saying. “We have and have had for a while great interest in the GlobalEye because of its range of radar capabilities.”

Source: Saab

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