Canada’s purchase of the GlobalEye early warning and surveillance aircraft will allow the military to significantly cut down the time needed to acquire the new fleet of planes.
The Royal Canadian Air Force had originally set aside five years to analyze and define various options for the project worth more than $5 billion, according to 2026 military planning documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.
But the Liberal government bypassed much of that period with its announcement that Canada would enter into direct negotiations with Saab for the GlobalEye aircraft.
Lindsey Ehman, spokesperson for the Defence Investment Agency, acknowledged the fast-tracked process.“ While the DIA cannot comment on ongoing procurement processes, the use of a preferred supplier approach is expected to significantly accelerate the progression of the project,” she said in an email.
Ehman pointed out that Canada still had to further assess its requirements and industrial benefits before determining the next steps.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the GlobalEye deal on May 27 at the CANSEC defence trade show in Ottawa, pointing out the initiative would not only boost military capabilities, but also create Canadian jobs.
GlobalEye is based on a Bombardier executive jet built in Toronto, and Saab, of Sweden, is expected to cut a deal in which a certain number of the aircraft orders for allied nations would be built in Canada.
The Liberal government expects that around 40 GlobalEye aircraft will be built in Canada.
Carney’s speech seemed to confirm that, despite ongoing talks on the project, GlobalEye was already a done deal. “With a suite of advanced sensors and mission systems, Saab’s GlobalEye will be a key resource for the Canadian Armed Forces to detect and deter threats across the Arctic,” Carney said in his speech at CANSEC.
The United Arab Emirates is currently flying the aircraft. Sweden and France have also placed orders.
In April, the French defence publication La Lettre and the German press agency DPA reported that NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency had selected Sweden’s Saab and Canada’s Bombardier to replace the alliance’s current fleet of U.S.-built airborne warning and control aircraft.
An official announcement on a NATO purchase has yet to be made.
“By signaling the selection of SAAB as a preferred supplier, Canada is indicating our intention to work with a trusted ally and secure the best contract for the country through highly skilled Canadian jobs, strong domestic aerospace and defence capabilities, technology transfer and industrial partnerships,” Ehman said.
NATO is looking to replace the alliance’s older fleet of E-3A Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft, which had been built by the U.S. firm Boeing.
In November 2023, NATO awarded a sole-source contract to Boeing to replace the older planes with the E-7A Wedgetail, but there have been ongoing issues with that plane.
The Royal Canadian Air Force had earlier launched a new project to acquire an Airborne Early Warning and Control fleet of planes. The Department of National Defence website for the project listed the cost at more than $5 billion and initial delivery of the first planes in 2037.
But in an April 8 briefing in Ottawa, the RCAF told industry representatives that the service hoped to have the aircraft arriving between 2031 and 2032. Initial operational capability would be set for 2035, according to the briefing.
The Liberal government’s initiative to acquire GlobalEye has faced some pushback from inside the RCAF as well as from some defence analysts, who worry about Carney’s plan to reduce reliance on the U.S. and American military equipment. There is also concern that the purchase of GlobalEye will pave the way for Canada to buy Saab’s Gripen fighter jet.
Saab has offered Canada the Gripen fighter jet as an alternative to the U.S.-built F-35, but is also open a mixed fleet of planes.
The Liberal government is still reviewing the F-35 purchase in the wake of U.S. president Donald Trump’s actions to economically punish Canada.
On Jan. 28, National Post reported the Liberal government was considering purchasing 40 F-35s in total and complementing those with the purchase of as many as 80 Gripens.
Some defence analysts say the Gripen and GlobalEye can’t operate with U.S. aircraft, but Saab supporters deny that is the case.
Canada’s military procurement system has faced intense criticism over the years.
On June 16, the government’s procurement watchdog issued a warning about the slow process. Major government defence projects take an average of 16 years to move through the full procurement pipeline, according to the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman (OPO) , an independent government organization working to promote fairness and transparency in federal procurement.
Its report found the length of time for major defence procurements ranged from about seven years to 28 years, depending on the complexity of the project.
David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe
