Is NATO focusing on European defense systems?
According to La Lettre, Hartpunkt and the German news agency dpa, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (Nspa) – which oversees acquisitions under the Alliance Future Surveillance and Control program – has chosen the Swedish Saab GlobalEye system to replace its fleet of fourteen US Boeing E-3 Awacs (Airborne Early Warning and Control) aircraft, thus closing a procurement cycle that initially favored the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, marking the first replacement of the Alliance’s Awacs fleet since its introduction in the 1980s.
Saab first proposed the GlobalEye for NATO’s Awacs replacement in February 2023. The platform is based on the Erieye Extended Range radar, capable of detecting and identifying air, sea, and land targets at distances over 550 kilometers, mounted on the Bombardier Global 6000 business jet airframe.
There are currently no official confirmations from NATO, while Saab has denied the conclusion of any agreement.
However, the focus is on the possible shift from US dominance to European solutions, with the GlobalEye system developed by Swedish Saab together with Bombardier. This is also demonstrated by Denmark’s choice to adopt the Franco-Italian Samp/T air defense system instead of the US Patriots.
All the details.
NATO’S INTEREST IN THE GLOBALEYE
NATO is interested in Saab’s GlobalEye to replace its now obsolete fleet of Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft, marking a potential strategic shift away from decades of dependence on US-made systems. The aircraft, based in Geilenkirchen, Germany, entered service in the early 1980s and are expected to remain operational until around 2035.
These planes represent one of the few military capabilities owned and operated directly by the Alliance, while most assets remain under the control of individual member states.
RETHINKING THE E-7 AFTER THE US WITHDRAWAL
If confirmed, the award would end a long procurement process that saw the exclusion of the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail from the competition after the United States withdrew from the program, and would mark the first time in nearly forty years that a non-Boeing platform serves as the common backbone for NATO’s air surveillance, notes Aero Time.
NATO’s fleet of 14 Boeing E-3A Sentry, operational since 1982 and based in Geilenkirchen, Germany, is expected to be retired around 2035, while the replacement process has been ongoing since 2016 under the Alliance Future Surveillance and Control program.
In November 2023, the Alliance had identified the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail as the new command and control system, with a plan for six aircraft and the first entering service by 2031.
However, in June 2025 the project slowed after the US Air Force excluded the E-7 from its fiscal year 2026 budget in favor of space surveillance capabilities, the outlet recalls. Subsequently, on November 13, 2025, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced that partner countries had decided to forgo acquiring the six Wedgetails, considering both the strategic and economic bases of the program no longer valid.
From here comes the report by the French outlet that NATO’s procurement agency had chosen Saab and Bombardier to supply GlobalEye aircraft to replace the Alliance’s 14 E-3 jets.
SAAB’S CLARIFICATION
As reported by FlightGlobal, on April 23 the CEO of the Swedish company, Micael Johansson, stated during the presentation of first quarter results that Saab had provided information to NATO regarding the GlobalEye system under the Allied Future Surveillance and Control program, without confirming the award of any contract, but emphasizing strong interest and an active pipeline including Germany, Poland, and potential options from France.
“It is up to NATO to comment on the progress of its procurement process,” said Mattias Rådström, Saab’s media relations manager, in a statement emailed to AeroTime. “I can confirm that we have provided them with information, but we have not signed any contract nor received an order from NATO for the GlobalEye.”
At the moment, what clearly emerges is a growing trend towards European solutions.
DENMARK HAS CHOSEN THE FRANCO-ITALIAN SAMP/T OVER THE US PATRIOTS
Just earlier this week, the French defense and technology company Thales announced it will supply Denmark with its Samp/T Ng air defense system through Eurosam, its joint venture with Mbda, with deliveries expected from 2028.
The Franco-Italian Samp/T air defense system is developed by the Italian-French consortium Eurosam (consisting of Mbda Italy, Mbda France, and Thales). It represents one of the cornerstones of Ukraine’s air defense, becoming essential for intercepting missiles and drones launched from Moscow. The Samp/T Ng is the evolution of this most advanced medium-to-long-range ground-based air defense system in Europe.
The French and Italian armies will be the first customers, receiving the Samp/T Ng starting in 2026. Ukraine has received at least two Samp/T systems as donations, with at least one in use defending the Kyiv area, considered an alternative to the US-made Patriot.
In September, Copenhagen chose the Samp/T system over the Patriot, notes Defense News observing that this decision appears increasingly timely after the US government signaled possible delays in arms and ammunition deliveries to the Baltic countries related to the war with Iran. Moreover, Switzerland declared in March that it faces four to five year delays in Patriot deliveries.
Denmark thus becomes the third country, after France and Italy, to be equipped with the system, while currently seven EU countries use the Patriot.
As Reuters highlighted, the agreement comes as Europe rushes to reduce dependence on US suppliers and strengthen its internal capabilities, with the European Commission’s ReArm Europe plan foreseeing up to 800 billion euros in additional defense spending by 2030.
