Page 14 - Seoul ADEX 2021 Day 1 - Online Magazine

firms, with Boeing the incumbent sup-
plier to the ROKAF with four aircraft in
service. However, ‘Peace Eye’ production
ended more than 10 years ago and the
baseline configuration uses an airframe
and radar combination that is obsolete
and out of production and IAI’s Compact
AEW system is also based on an older
Gulfstream 550 airframe.
GlobalEye combines Saab’s all-new
Erieye-ER S-band AESA radar (which
uses Gallium Nitride technology) along
with additional sensors installed on
Bombardier’s ultra-long range Global
6000 aircraft. At some point in the future,
Saab will transition to the newer Global
6500, to ensure that GlobalEye continues
on new-build airframes. The Erieye-ER
multi-mode, multi-domain radar can
SAAB POSITIONS perform simultaneous long-range surveil-
lance and detection in the air, over land
GLOBALEYE FOR and on sea all at the same time, which
makes the GlobalEye far more than a
‘simple’ AEW platform. The Erieye-ER
ROKAF AEW-2 NEED radar can track thousands of complex tar-
gets at once, including ‘stealthy’ aircraft,

slow targets, such as cruise missiles and
Saab’s GlobalEye multi-role airborne posals (RFP) will be issued in December very high speed missiles and low-and-
surveillance system is being proposed 2021, possibly leading to a contract in hovering helicopters. The S-band radar
by the Swedish firm as the best solution late 2022. The Swedish firm has made is also highly resistant to jamming, which
to meet the Republic of Korea Air Force’s no secret of its willingness to meet the Saab believes is a key consideration for
(ROKAF) Airborne Early Warning 2 (AEW- ROKAF’s requirement for a next-gen- South Korea.
2) requirement need. The ROKAF’s eration surveillance system. “Our main
AEW-2 programme aims to augment and focus continues to be GlobalEye for the Amongst the other sensors aboard
could also potentially replace its existing ROKAF’s pending AEW-2 requirement,” a are Leonardo’s Sea Spray 7500E mar-
fleet of Boeing 737 ‘Peace Eye’ AEW air- company official tells Daily News, adding itime surveillance radar, electro-optics,
craft. Korea’s Defence Acquisition Agency that Saab has promoted the GlobalEye in ELINT/SIGINT plus communications,
(DAPA) has initiated the programme with Korea for several years and emphasised datalinks and self-defence equipment.
an approximate budget of KRW1.334 the fact that the aircraft can be reliably The GlobalEye has multiple networking
trillion and noted that it expects a com- delivered from an active production line. and communications options, including
petitive procurement from a foreign Saab notes that the GlobalEye delivers SATCOMs, and can be datalinked with
supplier. The project is viewed as a high capabilities beyond any other in-service any national or international system (such
priority for the ROKAF, which needs to AEW&C platform and is both sophisti- as Link 16 or Korea’s own datalinks now
upgrade its surveillance capabilities. cated and simple to maintain and operate. under development). The final configu-
The company has demonstrated to many ration of each aircraft will be defined by
“THERE IS AN IMPORTANT of its customers in the past, a proven abil- the customer and Saab can adopt and
OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ity to offer high-end military equipment integrate Korean systems and technology
into GlobalEye, as required.
TOGETHER ON SAAB’S and technologies at a competitive price,
GLOBALEYE ADVANCED while meeting long-term commitments The GlobalEye programme was initiated
for maintenance and support, allowing it
AEW&C SYSTEM; A NEXT- to cater to the requirements from nations in November 2015 with an order from
GENERATION STRATEGIC that desire a greater sovereign capability, the United Arab Emirates which now
has three of the type in service and two
CAPABILITY WHICH CAN which is possible due to Sweden’s non- more on order. The UAE received its first
aligned status.
REVOLUTIONIZE KOREA’S aircraft April 2020 and added two more
ABILITY TO PROTECT ITS A multi-domain surveillance asset capa- aircraft by February 2021. The UAE Air
TERRITORY IN EVERY ble of working across air, land and sea, all Force refers to its aircraft as the ‘Swing
at the same time, the GlobalEye system Role Surveillance System’, underlining
DOMAIN,” Håkan Borin, Head of represents the future of Airborne Early its unique multi-domain capabilities. In
Saab Korea told Daily News prior to the Warning & Control (AEW&C), going September 2021 Sweden confirmed
commencement of the airshow. beyond the limitations of today’s aging, that it would also acquire GlobalEye
single-role, legacy platforms which are as its next-generation AEW&C system
Korean procurement plans call for the expensive to procure and operate. Saab and Saab has offered two GlobalEyes
acquisition of two additional aircraft and will face competition for the Korean to Finland as part of the HX fighter pro-
Saab anticipates that request for pro- AEW-2 requirement from U.S. and Israeli gramme there.

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