Always on Target
Bombardier and Saab: could the first Gripen E built outside Sweden offer a preview of how Saab intends to expand aerospace production with local partners—including Canada? Two developments this week make that question more concrete. In Brazil, the first Saab Gripen E manufactured by Embraer completed its maiden flight on October 6, 2026. Meanwhile, reporting
Canada GlobalEye negotiations now have a six-aircraft framework—but will Ottawa convert it into a binding contract with substantial Canadian work? Saab announced on September 25, 2026, that it had signed a non-binding term-sheet agreement with Canada’s Defence Investment Agency (DIA). The document establishes the scope for detailed negotiations over a GlobalEye airborne early warning and
Could A3-001 become Bombardier’s next military-aircraft opportunity? Saab fighter drone: According to The Aviationist’s report, Saab unveiled A3-001, a full-scale model of a low-observable autonomous combat aircraft, to media on August 21, 2026. Then Saab placed the concept on public display at Malmen Air Base in Linköping, Sweden, on August 22. No Canadian company is
Can Éric Martel turn a Canadian business-jet leader into a larger military integrator as allied governments open their treasuries? Bombardier defence expansion: On July 30, 2026, Éric Martel, Bombardier Inc.’s president and chief executive officer (CEO) linked acquisitions, aircraft maintenance, and a Canadian military-modification site during the company’s post-results media cycle. Crucially, the immediate development
Canada GlobalEye talks now put Saab, Bombardier and Canada’s Arctic surveillance ambitions on the same flight path, but did Ottawa just make a procurement choice or a sovereignty statement? On Wednesday, May 27, 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced at CANSEC 2026, inside the Cohere Centre, formerly the EY Centre, in Ottawa, that Canada had
Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft for Australian maritime surveillance now have a confirmed role; does the mission system remain the larger story? On May 26, 2026, Bombardier’s announcement said Bombardier Defense will provide three jets for maritime surveillance missions supporting the Australian Border Force (ABF). Metrea will operate them for the ABF under Australia’s next civil
NATO GlobalEye could make Bombardier’s Canadian-built Global aircraft the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) next airborne surveillance backbone, but what still separates procurement momentum from a signed contract? NATO GlobalEye: Public reports from La Lettre, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Defence News, and AeroTime say the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has moved toward Saab and Bombardier
Mirabel defence hub: is one Quebec site quietly becoming the industrial hinge between Canada’s fighter review and its airborne-surveillance competition? On April 21, 2026, MAS, an L3Harris company, and Lockheed Martin announced a new framework to pursue an F-35 Air Vehicle Depot in Canada. Yet a February 2026 L3Harris paper had already placed the same
France orders GlobalEye—so what does a Swedish airborne radar deal, built on Canadian metal, change for Europe’s air defence and Canada’s aerospace industrial base? On December 30, 2025, Saab confirmed it signed a contract with France’s Direction générale de l’armement (DGA) for two GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, plus ground equipment, training,
South Korea Global 6500 — why did Seoul choose a Bombardier Global 6500‑based AEW&C in September 2025? The decision caps years of stop‑start tendering, a narrowing field of bidders, and a hard look at life‑cycle costs versus capability. It also cements the long‑range business jet as the Indo‑Pacific’s newest airborne early warning workhorse. Moreover, it
