Netherlands Signs Letter of Intent to Join Swedish GlobalEye Program

The Netherlands signed a letter of intent with Sweden on September 10, 2026 to buy one Saab GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft. The Dutch Ministry of Defense and Saab announced the agreement. Delivery is expected in 2031, but no contract has been signed yet. Saab said it had not received an order from the Netherlands when the announcement was made. Neither statement specified cost, signing date, or signatories.

The ministry said the aircraft would detect difficult threats like drones and cruise missiles, identify radar installations, gather intelligence, and work as an airborne command post. The Dutch aircraft will join a pool with Sweden's three GlobalEye planes, so crews from both countries can use whichever aircraft are available.

Dutch crews get access to Sweden's aircraft from 2028, three years before the Dutch plane arrives. The ministry said this would let them build experience with the aircraft and its procedures early, and allow the Netherlands to use the aircraft operationally from that time. The two countries also plan to work together on developing the system further.

The Netherlands has no aircraft of its own for this mission now. It relies partly on NATO's Boeing E-3A Sentry AWACS fleet, which the ministry called outdated. A national aircraft would give the Netherlands more independence in deciding where and when it is deployed, the ministry said. The planned national aircraft is in addition to the Dutch share in NATO's own E-3A replacement.