NATO set to replace ageing AWACS fleet with advanced GlobalEye aircraft

NATO is preparing to replace its ageing fleet of US-built Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft with the GlobalEye surveillance planes developed by Sweden's Saab, four sources familiar with the ‌matter told Reuters.

According to the sources, NATO is expected to unveil its GlobalEye replacement plans during a meeting of alliance members in Ankara, Türkiye, on July 7-8. NATO did not immediately comment on the report, while Saab also declined to provide a statement.

The AWACS fleet, stationed at Geilenkirchen Air Base in Germany, has played a key role in NATO surveillance operations along the alliance’s eastern flank since the outbreak of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Under the proposed plan, the German base could eventually host the largest fleet of GlobalEye airborne surveillance aircraft in the world, the sources added.

The current AWACS fleet is based on the Boeing E-3A Sentry platform, while the GlobalEye system is built on the Bombardier Global 6000 business jet manufactured by Canada’s Bombardier.

Both aircraft are designed to detect aerial targets at distances of hundreds of kilometres and provide tracking and targeting information to military forces.

By Jeyhun Aghazada