Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 38:46-39:56

Why Saab alternatives struggled against Poseidon and Wedgetail

Not much, because Britain already had substantial 737 support infrastructure, access to a huge airframe and parts pool, and strong incentives to operate the systems chosen by the United States and presented as the NATO options.

Boeing 737British Defence ProcurementE-7 WedgetailMilitary Aircraft LogisticsNATO InteroperabilityP-8 PoseidonSaab GlobaleyeSaab Swordfish
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Question

Did Saab's GlobalEye and Swordfish concepts ever have much chance against the 737-based Poseidon and Wedgetail?

Short answer

Not much, because Britain already had substantial 737 support infrastructure, access to a huge airframe and parts pool, and strong incentives to operate the systems chosen by the United States and presented as the NATO options.

Notes

Saab's GlobalEye and Swordfish faced procurement obstacles beyond their individual performance. Britain already had substantial facilities for maintaining Boeing 737s, so it could support the 737-derived alternatives without a large investment in new infrastructure. The commercial fleet offered a wide supply of airframes and parts. Choosing Poseidon and Wedgetail also followed Britain's largest ally, the United States, and these were presented as the NATO choices.