Saab’s GlobalEye offers simultaneous air, land and sea surveillance
Saab’s Jonas Härmä tells FINN more about how the Global Eye programme is progressing.
Saab’s GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft is an advanced, swing-role airborne surveillance system…
Saab’s Jonas Härmä tells FINN more about how the Global Eye programme is progressing.
Saab’s GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft is an advanced, swing-role airborne surveillance system based on a modified Bombardier Global 6000 jet.
Saab says the GlobalEye AEW&C is the only airborne surveillance solution that can carry out air, maritime and land surveillance simultaneously.
It could be used in a variety of scenarios, including a natural disaster or terror attack, or even to intercept drug smugglers.
Test programme
The aircraft was revealed to the media for the first time in February this year, and its maiden flight took place in March.
Härmä said: “We’ve had a good first half-year this year. The GlobalEye is the first swing-role surveillance system in the world and the most modern airborne early warning control system. With that asset, you can actually regain the detection distance for modern threats, intercontinental ballistic missiles, fifth-generation fighters and so on.”
He added: “The flight test programme is progressing as we expected and we are gaining even more attention from the market with our solution.”
Sensors
On what’s unique about the aircraft, Härmä explained: “It’s a swing-role surveillance system and it’s composed of a number of sensors which are carefully chosen.
“By having that composition of sensors we’re actually able not only to cater for Airforce needs but also support the Navy and the Army in their operations. So it’s actually revolutionary from that perspective.”
He said the next 18 months of the programme will be used to “fully go through the envelopes and missionise the systems, and eventually deliver.”
The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces is the launch customer for the GlobalEye.
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