"For decades, NATO has relied on a fleet of E3 Airborne Warning and Control Systems, that have been our ‘eyes in the skies’," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said as he announced a new procurement plan on Tuesday. The alliance intends to replace those aging E-3s not with Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail but with up to 10 Saab GlobalEye aircraft, a choice that rearranges procurement plans, industrial exposure, and program momentum across allies.
NATO’s decision: up to 10 Saab GlobalEye aircraft
NATO announced a joint procurement by several allies for up to 10 Saab GlobalEye aircraft to replace the Boeing E-3 Airborne Warning and Control fleet. The procurement was announced during the Defence Industry Forum in Ankara, Turkey. Saab’s CEO Micael Johansson estimated the deal would be worth about $4.5 billion and said deliveries could begin in 2030, depending on when a contract is signed.
Which countries are participating
NATO said Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, and Sweden are joining together to procure Saab’s aircraft. Saab, however, noted in a press release that it has "not signed a contract or received an order related to the announcement."
How the GlobalEye is described by Saab
Saab describes the GlobalEye as a sensor suite mounted on a Bombardier Global 6500 platform. According to the company’s website, its sensors can detect a wide range of threats in contested combat zones, including drones, ballistic and hypersonic missiles. Johansson said the company is "confident that GlobalEye is the right choice for the Alliance, delivering proven capability, adaptability and long-term operational advantage," and that the announcement "clearly positions GlobalEye as the world‑leading solution for advanced airborne early warning and control."
U.S. budget moves, past Wedgetail starts and stops
An analyst cited the Pentagon’s earlier decision to request no E-7 funding in the 2027 budget as influential to NATO’s path. J.J. Gertler of the Teal Group said, "When the U.S. ‘27 budget came out, and there was no money for E-7, and NATO looked at that and said, ‘Well, if the U.S. isn't buying it, why should we?,' and they made an announcement right then that because the administration was not behind E-7 they did not expect to be favoring it." Gertler added that the later reversal to fund E-7s did not undo that timing impact and called it "something of an own goal."
The record cited by NATO and industry also shows earlier turbulence: in 2023 the alliance announced plans to buy six E-7s; in July 2025 the Trump administration withdrew from that deal; and four months later the Netherlands and other countries said they would no longer seek to buy the aircraft, citing "strategic and financial" woes. In May, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reversed course on the U.S. budget omission, characterizing the earlier choice as reflecting an outdated "austerity" and "divest-to-invest mindset." Congressional action followed: House appropriators backed a $1.5‑billion White House budget amendment to fund E‑7 Wedgetail development and pushed back on attempts to reallocate Navy airborne early warning funds.
Saab and Boeing responses
Boeing defended the E-7 in response to NATO's announcement. A Boeing spokesperson said in an emailed statement that "Boeing remains fully committed to supporting the mission needs of NATO allies and partners. With an active production line, the E-7A is the most capable and mature airborne battle management, command and control system fielded today." The company added that the E‑7 is "a combat‑proven platform already in the hands of NATO allies, delivering a family of systems approach, driven by unmatched interoperability with allied capabilities, and an industrial and sustainment framework ready to meet operational timelines."
Saab reiterated its commercial posture: it has not yet signed a contract or received an order related to NATO’s announcement and says it looks forward to the next negotiation steps.
How NATO procurement officials, industry, and allied militaries will react
Procurement officials in the participating countries will now shift toward negotiating commercial contracts with Saab and defining timelines tied to the 2030 delivery estimate; Saab has publicly tied that timeline to the timing of a signed contract. Industrial planners and sustainment teams in allies already familiar with E‑7 or E‑3 support will need to reconcile interoperability, training, and sustainment frameworks with GlobalEye’s sensor suite and Global 6500 platform. Militaries in the listed allied countries will watch how capability tradeoffs between the GlobalEye and E‑7 are resolved in operational requirements, particularly for the sensors Saab highlights—detection of drones, ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
The announcement closes a chapter of fits and starts around NATO airborne early warning procurement: an initial E‑7 plan in 2023, a U.S. withdrawal in 2025, allied hesitancy, a later U.S. funding reversal, Congressional amendment, and now a joint move toward Saab. Saab’s estimate of a $4.5 billion program and potential 2030 deliveries set a clear near‑term marker, but Saab’s own statement that no contract is signed keeps the choice conditional until negotiations finish.
