NATO’s GlobalEye selection reflects a move towards greater European defence autonomy

After NATO announced in November 2025 that it would no longer be procuring Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail to replace its E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft fleet, the alliance’s confirmation this week that it would look to acquire up to 10 Saab GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems was widely expected.

Formal negotiations between the alliance and the Swedish manufacturer will now begin, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey on 7 July, marking the start of a process that will see a non-Boeing platform take the helm as NATO’s airborne surveillance backbone for the first time in more than 40 years.

GlobalEye’s “proven capability, adaptability and long-term operational advantage” were cited by Saab’s CEO Micael Johansson as having helped the company stand out over competitors, with Shephard’s Defence Insight noting that the likes of Airbus, L3Harris and Northrop Grumman had been interested in the programme.

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While the Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) programme will continue to involve all of NATO, including the US, as the project aims to create a multinational system-of-systems involving data exchange, ISR platforms, C2 systems and multiple surveillance assets, the selection of GlobalEye represents a diversification away from previous US dominance.

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) had initially selected the E-7A Wedgetail in December 2023 for its AFSC programme, to fulfil its AWACS requirement when its fleet of E-3 Sentry aircraft retire from service by 2035. In November last year, however, the Netherlands confirmed that the alliance was no longer pursuing the E-7 Wedgetail due to financial and strategic reasons, which reopened the competition.

NATO previously announced it was studying a range of new technologies and options to replace the E-3 Sentry, which could include various combinations of systems in the air, on land, at sea, in space and in cyberspace.

An acquisition with a broader impact

Replacing a US-built AWACS fleet with a European-led system reflects a broader shift in NATO’s industrial balance. Having operated the Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft since 1982, the selection of GlobalEye implies a rebalancing of the alliance’s existing dependence on the US. This reflects a common theme since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with European governments accelerating efforts to strengthen their own defence industrial capacities.

If NATO does formally contract the GlobalEye, however, Shephard‘s air analyst Isolde Hatgis-Kessell warned that this decision could risk creating political friction with Washington.

“This could give rise to frustration from the Trump administration, which, despite having pushed aggressively for greater contribution from Europe to the alliance, could see the selection as a snub to American manufacturers,” she explained.

“Furthermore, as the Pentagon is still pursuing the E-7 Wedgetail, this selection could symbolise a growing distance between the US and NATO along and an impact on interoperability.”

NATO’s endorsement of Saab’s GlobalEye could also present further market opportunities. Shephard’s Defence Insight estimates there is around US$15 billion worth of market opportunities for AEW&C platforms outside of NATO’s procurement plans. Of this, $11 billion is for North America, followed by $2 billion for Europe, while $1.8 billion remains for the Middle East and $500 million for the Indo-Pacific.

According to the latest announcement, 11 NATO countries are set to jointly procure the GlobalEye: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, and Sweden.

Canada became the most recent country to officially select GlobalEye as its preferred AEW&C capability supplier, with the country also side-lining US competition from L3Harris and Boeing. The decision to press ahead with a European AEW&C solution appears to further underpin Canada’s move away from US military capabilities – with other key platforms like the onward buy of F-35s still under discussion, despite committing to the first 16 jets – although the country remains deeply integrated with US defence structures.

Meanwhile, as noted by Hatgis-Kessell, the US appears to be continuing with its plans to procure the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, despite the Pentagon having tried to cancel the programme previously. The Wedgetail is intended to substitute the E-3 Sentry AWACS fleet, which has been in service with the US Air Force since 1977. 

Although the US Department of Defense has not earmarked any money for the E-7 construction in its request for the next fiscal year, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed to have sent a budget amendment to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), adding resources for this initiative.

Shephard’s Farnborough International Airshow coverage is sponsored by MBDA

Related Programmes in Defence Insight

Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (1-10) [NATO]

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

GlobalEye (Global 6000)

737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C)