Dutch military to get a GlobalEye radar plane

The Netherlands and Sweden signed a letter of intent for the Dutch government to buy a Saab GlobalEye surveillance aircraft, the Dutch Ministry of Defence announced September 10.

The Netherlands does not currently operate an aircraft capable of this kind of long-range surveillance and instead relies partly on NATO’s aging AWACS fleet. The Dutch aircraft is expected to be delivered in 2031. Starting in 2028, Dutch crews will get earlier access to Sweden’s own GlobalEye aircraft, letting them train on the platform and its procedures years before their own jet arrives, and potentially use it operationally in the meantime.

GlobalEye is built on the Bombardier Global 6000/6500 business jet, fitted with Saab’s Erieye extended-range radar along with other sensors and communications equipment. It is designed to track activity in the air, at sea and on land over long distances and large areas, detecting threats such as drones and cruise missiles and identifying radar installations. Data the aircraft collects is processed and shared in real time with other aircraft, ships and ground units, and the plane can also serve as an airborne command post.

The Dutch aircraft will join a shared pool with three Swedish GlobalEyes, giving Dutch and Swedish crews access to whichever aircraft in the pool is available. The Netherlands said close cooperation with Sweden on deploying the aircraft would let it operate more independently in deciding when and where to use the plane, rather than relying solely on NATO-controlled assets.

This purchase sits alongside a larger, separate NATO-wide decision. In July 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that 11 allies, including the Netherlands, had agreed to jointly procure up to 10 GlobalEye aircraft to replace the alliance’s fleet of Boeing E-3A Sentry AWACS planes, which have flown out of Geilenkirchen, Germany, since 1982. That decision followed NATO’s decision to abandon an earlier plan to buy Boeing E-7A Wedgetail aircraft for the same purpose, after the Pentagon canceled its own E-7 program in 2025. Saab has said it has not yet signed a contract with NATO for that larger order, and formal negotiations with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency are ongoing.

GlobalEye has also been ordered by the United Arab Emirates, France and Canada.

Source: Defence Blog