Sweden receives first GlobalEye under accelerated delivery timeline
The first of three contracted Saab GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft has now been delivered to the Swedish Air Force, with a fourth optioned aircraft yet to be exercised. (Saab)
Sweden has received the first of three currently contracted Saab S 106 GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.
The handover took place at Saab's Linköping production facility on 15 October 2026, with the aircraft now entering a phase of testing and verification ahead of its first flight and subsequent delivery to the Swedish Air Force (SwAF).
The milestone came four-and-a-half years after Saab and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (Försvarets materielverk: FMV) signed in June 2022 a contract for two GlobalEye aircraft with an option for two more, for approximately SEK2.6 billion (USD250 million at the time). A third aircraft was exercised in June 2024 following the Swedish decision to donate one of the SwAF's two Saab ASC 890 AEW&C airframes to Ukraine.
At that time, the delivery schedule would see the initial two airframes handed over to the SwAF in 2027, with the third in 2029. However, in October 2024 the government announced that this timeline would be accelerated. While no delivery dates were disclosed, the SwAF told Janes in 2024 that the first two aircraft would be delivered to the air force “sooner than the original delivery date”.
Per previous announcements, the first two GlobalEyes are being delivered to the SwAF in an interim configuration before later being modified to deliver the full capability required. The third aircraft will be delivered in the final configuration. Neither Saab nor the SwAF has detailed the interim and/or final configuration.
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