Ottawa signs preliminary deal with Swedish firm Saab for 6 GlobalEye aircraft

Ottawa signs preliminary deal with Swedish firm Saab for 6 GlobalEye aircraft

Detection aircraft would be built in Canada

The federal government has announced a preliminary agreement for the acquisition of six GlobalEye detection aircraft that would be built in Canada by the Swedish firm Saab in collaboration with Canada’s Bombardier.

In a statement on Friday, the government said the agreement will serve as the basis for final negotiations surrounding the purchase of these radar aircraft and the production schedule in Canada.

The government announced at the end of May its intention to acquire the Saab aircraft, which are used to detect and track threats such as enemy aircraft, missiles and drones at long distances. The platform offers what is known in the military as an airborne early warning and control (AEWC) capability.

Ottawa is now moving on to final negotiations on a contract, although no specific timeline or final cost have been provided by the government.

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"While the agreement does not constitute a contract or commitment to procure aircraft, it represents concrete progress toward the acquisition of the GlobalEye platform," the government said in its news release.

The upcoming negotiations will focus on a "Canadian configuration and development program designed to meet Canada's requirements," the government said.

Other current or potential customers for the GlobalEye include NATO, Sweden, France, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. Ottawa is working with Saab to manufacture some of the aircraft for these clients in Canada.

Sources told CBC News that the GlobalEye has met only a handful of the military's requirements and will need important modifications. Ottawa has added that the other American companies interested in the contract, Boeing and L3Harris, are in the same situation.

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In this context, the government said that GlobalEye was selected based on geopolitical and economic criteria.

"Canada’s approach to defence procurement must deliver more than military equipment. It must defend Canadians while strengthening our economy, growing Canadian industrial capacity and opening new opportunities for Canadian companies to compete globally," Stephen Fuhr, secretary of state responsible for defence procurement, said in a statement.

The Conservative Party has criticized the government's decision to proceed with this acquisition without going to tenders and is now calling on the Auditor General and the Parliamentary Budget Officer to investigate the project.

In a statement last week, the Conservatives said the public needs reassurances that the government did its homework before embarking on the process.

"Canadians deserve to know if politicians, Liberal staffers and bureaucrats were putting political decisions ahead of national security, defence and operational readiness," said Conservative defence critic James Bezan.

Daniel Leblanc is a reporter with more than 20 years experience in investigative journalism and federal politics. He is a past winner of the Michener Award, the Charles Lynch Award and three National Newspaper Awards.