NATO plans to replace AWACS with Saab GlobalEye jets, sources say

NATO plans to replace its ageing fleet of U.S.-built Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance aircraft with a Swedish alternative, Saab’s GlobalEye, Reuters reports, citing four sources.

The sources say the GlobalEye purchase will be announced at a NATO summit in Ankara on July 7–8. A NATO spokesperson confirmed a decision on the AWACS replacement would be announced at the summit but did not provide details. Saab did not comment.

NATO’s current AWACS fleet—14 aircraft with distinctive nine-metre-wide radar domes—has been flying since 1982 and is based at Geilenkirchen air base in Germany. The fleet has played a key role in surveillance missions along NATO’s eastern flank since Russia’s war on Ukraine began. If the replacement proceeds, Geilenkirchen could become home to the world’s largest GlobalEye fleet, according to the sources.

The GlobalEye system entered service in 2018 and is designed to detect and track threats across air, land and sea. It is based on the Bombardier Global 6500 business jet. GlobalEye competes with Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail, which is also an early warning and command-and-control aircraft.

The report notes that NATO had dropped plans in 2025 to buy Boeing E-7 Wedgetail aircraft, and it frames the expected GlobalEye announcement as potentially awkward for U.S. President Donald Trump, who has urged allies to buy more U.S. defence equipment and has threatened at times to pull Washington out of NATO.

NATO’s AWACS aircraft can be refuelled in flight, a capability described as valuable for extending time on station on missions near Ukraine. The aircraft are among the few military assets owned directly by NATO and are operated by crews from 21 of the alliance’s 32 member states.