Canada enters into talks to purchase Saab GlobalEye surveillance planes
· Toronto Sun
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OTTAWA — It’s a deal that could greatly bolster Canada’s military surveillance capabilities.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Wednesday that Canada was entering talks with Swedish military contractor Saab to potentially purchase an unspecified number of GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft.
The announcement was made as Ottawa prepares to welcome the annual CANSEC defence and security trade show, happening this week in the nation’s capital.
“With its 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 during a morning address, the first time a Canadian PM has spoken at CANSEC.
“GlobalEye’s airborne surveillance airborne surveillance capability can track objects and signals and up to 650 km away, and they’ll share, in real time, that information with the Canadian Forces and our allies.”
Aircraft will be built in Mississauga
Carney, who in his speech amusingly kept referring to the platform as “GoldenEye” — the Soviet orbital nuclear superweapon featured in the eponymous 1995 James Bond film, said the potential purchase is part of his government’s pledge to bolster defence spending to meet NATO benchmarks .
While no formal deal to purchase the aircraft has yet been signed, Canada has previously indicated interest in purchasing six surveillance planes for the Royal Canadian Air Force.
The planes, using Saab hardware, will be based on the Canada-made Bombardier Global 6500 business jet — formerly made at the company’s now-shuttered Downsview plant before production was moved to Mississauga in 2024.
In a statement from Saab, the company states they’ve offered to build, maintain and upgrade Canadian GlobalEye aircraft with a team of Canadian partners, with the goal of transferring this knowledge in order to help bolster Canada’s domestic defence industry.
“GlobalEye offers proven capability for the Royal Canadian Air Force, sovereign ownership for Canada and comprehensive and skilled work for Canadian industry,” said Saab president and CEO Micael Johansson in a statement.
Saab says they will also invest in Canadian R&D to support the initiative.