Sources said the recently announced plan to buy Saab’s GlobalEye surveillance aircraft was a “first step” in talks on a wider Gripen partnership. Some in the military have reservations about the plan, while Ottawa remains focused on using defense spending to support Canada’s industrial sector.
According to several sources, the federal government is still considering a fleet of 72 to 88 F-35s even if it proceeds with the Gripen. Several sources said Ottawa is also exploring the purchase of 72 Gripens, a project that could create up to 9,000 jobs and become Canada’s largest defense industrial program.
Saab is continuing to refine its business plan to build Gripen fighters in Canada. Sources said the company could use the supply chain that would be created for GlobalEye production.
“There could easily be a fleet of 140 aircraft,” said a source with knowledge of discussions between Saab and Ottawa. CBC granted confidentiality to several sources directly involved in the file so they could discuss private talks.
The Gripen discussions are taking place alongside a review of Canada’s F-35 purchase launched by Prime Minister Mark Carney in March 2025. The review followed diplomatic and trade tensions with the Trump administration.
CBC reported there is a broad sense in Ottawa that the fighter decision rests with Carney. The fate of the F-35 program could also become part of talks on renewing the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.
Under an agreement announced in 2023, Ottawa already has a firm order for 16 F-35s and has started paying for 14 additional aircraft. The Canadian Armed Forces has declined to say how many CF-18s it currently has available, except that the number is below 88.
The possible Gripen acquisition has parallels with the GlobalEye project. In both cases, a major selling point is domestic production of aircraft for the Canadian Armed Forces and allied countries.
However, sources said the GlobalEye plan, intended to help monitor the Arctic for missiles, drone attacks or enemy incursions, has faced opposition inside the Canadian military. A government source said there has been “some resistance” within the Royal Canadian Air Force, while industry sources said the military does not view GlobalEye as the best available radar aircraft.
Other contenders included two U.S. aircraft, Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail and the L3Harris Aeris X. The military’s requirements for the airborne early warning and control project have not been made public.
Retired major-general Colin Keiver, a former deputy commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force and now a lobbyist at CFN Consultants, said the military has sought an early warning aircraft with 360-degree radar capability, full operation during sharp banking turns and aerial refueling. “The current version of GlobalEye in operational use has none of these capabilities,” Keiver wrote in a recent LinkedIn post.
At CFN Consultants, Keiver has worked with companies including Lockheed Martin and L3 Technologies Canada, which are competing with Saab. Saab deputy CEO Anders Carp said in an interview that the company is aware of the Canadian military’s expectations and is ready to meet them.
Overall, GlobalEye’s sensors provide 360-degree coverage, while the main radar on top of the fuselage provides coverage in the 300-degree range, Carp said. “We do have a program in place where we can place in a forward-looking and an aft-looking radar, should that be something that the customer demands,” said Carp. “And the same will go for air-to-air refuelling.”
A Liberal source said the government’s interest in Swedish aircraft such as GlobalEye and Gripen can be understood through the 2023 controversy over Canada’s purchase of Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft. The Liberal government under Justin Trudeau offered Boeing an untendered contract for 16 P-8As, while Montreal-based Bombardier unsuccessfully called for a competition.
The controversy was seen as a “lesson” for Carney’s Liberals, who promised during the last federal election campaign to buy “Canadian-made” early warning aircraft, the source said. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly later opened discussions with Saab executives at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget on buying GlobalEye aircraft, which use the Bombardier Global 6500 as their main platform, as well as Gripen-E fighters.
Further talks took place during Joly’s visit to Saab facilities in Sweden last August. The discussions gained additional momentum during a Swedish royal visit to Canada in November.
Government sources said Canada wants its major military procurement projects to meet the needs of the Canadian Armed Forces, diversify geopolitical alliances and “defend the industrial sector.” After reaching NATO’s defense spending target of 2% of GDP, Canada now aims to reach 4% by the end of the decade.
“We are moving from a regulatory approach that checks boxes to one that builds our defence industrial base with speed and scale,” Carney said when announcing the GlobalEye project last month. Canada’s interest comes as Saab lacks manufacturing capacity in Sweden to meet demand for its military aircraft.
“I was here two years ago, and we couldn’t really see that Canada would move so fast,” said Carp. “We’re extremely proud that we’re part of this journey. And we’re also humble because we’re starting something now that will last for 30, 40, 50 or more years.”
Industry sources said NATO may announce in early July that it has selected GlobalEye as its future long-range detection platform. They said such a decision could have made it easier to find a European industrial partner if Canada had not already acted.
Sources also said Canada would need to commit to acquiring Gripen-E fighters if it wants Saab to establish a factory in the country. Such a facility could build aircraft for the Canadian Armed Forces and potentially for Ukraine.
