France has officially selected Saab’s GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to replace its retiring fleet of Boeing E-3F Sentry planes. The announcement was made at
the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, with a final contract expected to be signed in the coming months.
Under a newly signed declaration of intent between Saab and France’s DGA defense procurement agency, Paris plans to acquire two GlobalEye aircraft, with an option for two more. This marks Saab’s second export order for GlobalEye, following the United Arab Emirates, which operates five of the aircraft.
Saab CEO Micael Johansson praised the agreement, stating that GlobalEye will “enhance the French Armed Forces’ situational awareness and threat detection across the air, land and sea domains.”
Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson welcomed the deal as a step toward deeper interoperability between the two nations. “This collaboration will benefit our countries and deepen our defense ties,” he wrote on X.
The GlobalEye platform, based on the Bombardier Global 6500 business jet, features Saab’s Erieye radar and offers real-time intelligence gathering across multiple domains. Saab highlighted its role in improving early threat detection and overall situational awareness.
Although France had long planned to phase out the E-3F fleet by 2030, the announcement of a replacement aircraft came as a surprise, given the lack of public updates on the program.
The procurement stems from a 2024 Franco-Swedish strategic innovation partnership aimed at strengthening joint capabilities in air surveillance and defense to counter evolving aerial threats. Photo by Airwolfhound from Hertfordshire, UK, Wikimedia commons.