The firm’s Bombardier Global 6000 business jet has been converted into an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. Abu Dhabi has contracted Saab to produce three such early warning aircraft.
The aircraft, named GlobalEye, features Saab’s powerful new extended range radar attached to the ultra-long-range Global 6000 airframe. It can fly between almost any two points on the globe with only one stop and can fly from Tokyo to New York without refueling.
"Saab’s breadth and depth of expertise combines all of the necessary knowledge and technology required to design, develop and produce the most advanced AEW&C systems," according to Saab executive Anders Carp. "Our collective capabilities deliver unrivalled solutions such as GlobalEye," Carp said in a news release Friday.
The first GlobalEye plane has been declared ready for ground and flight tests to collect data that will help engineers complete the project.