Saab responded to a request for information (RFI) from NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency on a new generation of Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft, proposing its GlobalEye solution to replace the current fleet of E-3 Sentry aircraft.
NATO is seeking to define the replacement for its 14 E-3 Sentry aircraft through the Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) program, which will be phased out from 2035.
“Saab is a proven and trusted part of NATO’s defence industrial base and we are present in more than two thirds of the member nations. Our solutions, including GlobalEye, are from the outset developed to be compliant with NATO’s requirements. I am confident that we can contribute with important capabilities that will strengthen NATO and benefit the member countries,” says Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab´s business area Surveillance.
GlobalEye AEW&C
GlobalEye is a multi-domain Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) solution with an array of active and passive sensors that provide long-range detection and identification of objects in air, at sea and over land.
By providing real-time information to units in air forces, armies and navies, GlobalEye enables enhanced situational awareness of the surrounding areas and early detection of threats. It can also be used for non-military tasks such as leading and coordinating rescue missions during natural disasters or larger accidents at sea or on land.
AFSC Program
The Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) has been NATO’s key surveillance and control asset since the 1980s, and is planned to retire around 2035 after 50 years of service. To plan for the required follow-on capability, at the 2016 Summit in Warsaw, NATO launched Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) specifically to develop options for future NATO surveillance and control capabilities.
See also: ASPAARO: Airbus and Northrop Grumman team up to outline future NATO AWACS replacement
In February 2017, the North Atlantic Council (NAC) initiated the AFSC Concept Stage with NSPA as the lead NATO agency to conduct studies and develop technical concepts. Through this work, NSPA is evaluating new technologies and exploring a system of systems approach including potential combinations of air, ground, maritime, and space systems working together to collect and share information. These studies will eventually help to inform decisions by NATO, individual Allies or multinational groups to acquire new systems in the future. All 30 NATO Allies currently cooperate in the planning and resourcing of this programme. .
