Farnborough 2026: Swedish Air Force aims to participate in NATO GlobalEye force
On 7 July, Saab announced that formal negotiations would begin on NATO's procurement of up to 10 GlobalEye aircraft to replace 14 E-3As operated by the NAEW&C. (Saab)
The Swedish Air Force (SwAF) aims to participate in the NATO GlobalEye force, in addition to establishing its own flight of the airborne early warning and control aircraft (AEW&C), the service's commander, General Jonas Wikman, told Janes on the eve of the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 being held on 20-24 July.
Speaking after briefing international journalists attending a Swedish Air Force Fan Club event in London on 19 July, Gen Wikman told Janes that the SwAF aimed to contribute crew members to the GlobalEye multinational force that will replace NATO's 14 E-3A airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft. He said this would require the signature of a memorandum of understanding on the new GlobalEye force, announced by 11 allies during the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara on 7 July 2026. The 11 countries are Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, and Sweden.
On 7 July, Saab announced in a press release that formal negotiations would begin on NATO's procurement of up to 10 GlobalEye aircraft to replace the E-3As operated by the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control (NAEW&C) Force based in Geilenkirchen, Germany.
At the 7 July NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum, the alliance also announced that seven of its members would share a pool of A400M transports along the lines of the A330 Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT) Fleet (MMF). Both initiatives comprise Belgium, Croatia, France, Poland, Spain, Türkiye, and the UK, with the addition of Finland as an eighth country in the MMF.
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