Erieye Radar System: Saab’s Airborne Early Warning Radar
Erieye is Saab’s side-looking AESA airborne early-warning radar. Mounted in a fixed dorsal “plank” above a Saab 340 turboprop airframe, it provides 340-degree azimuth coverage without a rotating antenna — using electronic beam-steering to build a complete airspace and surface picture. Sweden, Pakistan, Greece, Thailand and Mexico operate Erieye-equipped aircraft. The extended-range Erieye ER, with a 10-metre aperture and dramatically greater detection range, powers the GlobalEye AEW&C platform.
System Profile
| Manufacturer | Saab Electronic Defence Systems |
| Type | Side-looking AESA pulse-Doppler radar |
| Carrier Aircraft | Saab 340 (standard); Bombardier Global 6000/6500 (Erieye ER) |
| Azimuth Coverage | 340° (two fixed arrays, ±60° each) |
| IOC | 1997 (Swedish Air Force) |
| Operators | Sweden, Pakistan, Greece, Thailand, Mexico |
Architecture: Why Fixed-Array AESA?
Conventional AEW radars use rotating antennas — mechanical systems that introduce angular “blind spots” during each rotation cycle and impose physical constraints on beam update rates. Erieye’s fixed AESA arrays steer electronically, providing continuous coverage of the entire azimuth sector at update rates impossible to achieve mechanically. AESA architecture also provides inherent low probability of intercept, programmable waveform agility and superior resistance to electronic countermeasures.
Operators
| Country | Platform | Qty | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | Saab 340B AEW&C | 6 | Active |
| Pakistan | Saab 2000 Erieye | 9 | Active |
| Greece | Saab 340B Erieye | 4 | Active |
| Thailand | Saab 340B Erieye | 2 | Active |
| Mexico | Saab 340B Erieye | 1 | Active |
