NATO plans to stop using U.S. aircraft for reconnaissance — DPA
The North Atlantic Alliance is radically changing its strategy for modernizing its fleet of Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.
This was reported by DPA.
Instead of the previously planned American Boeing aircraft, NATO has opted for the GlobalEye system, which is based on aircraft from the Canadian company Bombardier and Swedish Saab technology.
A final decision on the transition to the new platform is expected at the NATO summit in Ankara, scheduled for July 7–8, 2026.
This order, which will include up to 12 Global 6000 or Global 6500 aircraft, is estimated at several billion euros and will be one of the largest projects of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).
“NATO’s future AWACS fleet will consist of Bombardier aircraft equipped with Saab’s GlobalEye reconnaissance system,” sources within the Alliance confirmed following media reports.
This choice became possible after the U.S. government unexpectedly announced its withdrawal from the E-7A Wedgetail program, forcing European allies to seek an alternative.
Germany, which had previously considered only American options, is now prepared to shoulder the largest share of the costs for the GlobalEye project.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius named the Swedish system a priority for the Luftwaffe, which effectively set the direction for the entire Alliance’s development in the field of aerial reconnaissance.
Replacing the aging Boeing 707 aircraft, which have been in service for nearly 40 years, is critically important for monitoring the airspace in Eastern Europe.
The new GlobalEye systems provide significantly higher target detection accuracy and have a smaller logistical footprint compared to their massive American counterparts.
The delivery of new aircraft will allow NATO to fully modernize its “eyes in the sky” by 2035, when the current fleet of Boeing E-3As will finally reach the end of its service life.
Saab has already announced its readiness to supply up to four GlobalEye units per year, which will ensure rapid rearmament.
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