Saab nears first flight for Sweden's initial GlobalEye surveillance jet

Saab has rolled out the first GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft for the Swedish air force. The company says the jet is close to completion and entering testing and verification before its first flight.

The airframe is a Bombardier Global 6500 converted for the surveillance mission. Conversion takes 48 months and is done at Saab's site in Linkoping, Sweden. It includes a ski-box radome on top of the fuselage and other military mission equipment.

Sweden has ordered three of the aircraft. That makes it the second customer for the type after the United Arab Emirates. The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration signed for two jets in 2022 and added a third in 2024. Five aircraft have been handed over to the UAE, the launch operator.

Saab chief executive Micael Johansson called the presentation of Sweden's first aircraft a significant step for the company and the country's armed forces. He said the jet will give Sweden an airborne surveillance and situational awareness capability.

The lead Swedish aircraft carries the tail number 061 and is painted in the air force's markings, including its three crowns roundel.

Each GlobalEye carries active and passive sensors designed to find and identify objects in the air, on the sea and over land at distance. The largest is the dorsal-mounted Erieye Extended Range radar, which Saab also produces. Saab says it wants to raise production to four aircraft in response to demand.