NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says the alliance is looking to work with Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab on a fleet of up to 10 early warning and surveillance planes. Rutte made the remarks at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where he discussed plans to replace NATO’s current radar-surveillance aircraft. The reporting indicates NATO’s existing fleet is reaching the end of its service life, and that the alliance is moving toward new capability through the GlobalEye system.
According to the sources, the proposed approach involves Saab building the aircraft, while a Canadian company would produce components and/or build the jets used in the program. The coverage describes the envisioned aircraft as radar jets and early warning surveillance planes. While details on the final number, contract structure, and timelines are not provided in the excerpts, all sources describe the same direction of travel: an alliance partnership with Saab and a link to Canadian industrial participation as NATO plans fleet replacement tied to the GlobalEye concept.
