Saab 340 AEW&C

Saab 340 AEWCS S 100 Argus
An S 100B Argus at Malmen, 2010
Role	AEWCS aircraft
National origin	Sweden
Manufacturer	Saab AB
First flight	1994 [1]
Introduction	1997
Status	Active
Primary users	Swedish Air Force Royal Thai Air Force Polish Air Force Ukrainian Air Force [2]
Produced	1994–1999
Number built	12
Developed from	Saab 340

The Saab 340 AEW&C is a Swedish airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. A variant of the Saab 340 aircraft, it is designated S 100B Argus by the Swedish Air Force. ^{[3] [4]}

Radar

Compared to the traditional circular radar on AWACS planes, such as the E-3 Sentry, the Saab 340 has a non-movable PS-890 AESA radar made with the Erieye system. It offers lower drag, but has a dead zone directly behind and in front of the plane, with a 120 degree zone of scan on either side of the airframe. ^[5] The mounted radar is capable of tracking ships, planes and missiles up to 190–250 mi (300–400 km), while at an altitude of 20,000 ft (6,100 m). ^[5]

Operational history

Six S 100B Argus aircraft were produced for the Swedish Air Force. Four are permanently equipped with the Erieye active electronically scanned array (AESA) early warning radar. Two are fitted for transport missions during peacetime.

Two modified planes were loaned to Greece prior to the delivery of EMB-145 Erieye systems, which commenced in 2003.

In July 2006, Saab was awarded a contract to upgrade two of the Swedish Air Force's S 100B aircraft for surveillance missions, and for deployment in multi-national operations. The upgraded Saab 340 AEW-300 aircraft, entered service in 2009.

In November 2007, Thailand announced the intention to buy two S 100B AEW aircraft from the Swedish Air Force.

On May 29th, 2024, the Swedish Ministry of Defense announced that two ^[6] Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft (ASC 890) will be sent to Ukraine, in the 16th military support package. ^[7]

Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C aircraft belonging to Pakistan Air Force were used during the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict. Following a BrahMos missile strike on PAF Base Bholari the Indian Air Force claimed to have destroyed a Saab 2000 AEW&C aircraft. This claim has been denied by Pakistani officials. ^{[8] [9]}

Variants

Saab 340B AEW / S 100B Argus

(FSR-890) Erieye, for the Thai Air Force.

Saab 340B AEW-200

(IS-340) Erieye

Saab 340B AEW-300 / S 100D Argus

(ASC-890) Erieye

B.K.1

(Thai : บ.ก.๑) Royal Thai Armed Forces designation for the Saab 340 AEW&C. ^[10]

Operators

A Swedish Air Force Saab 340 Argus

A Royal Thai Air Force Saab 340 AEW&C

A Pakistan Air Force Saab 2000 AEW&C

Current

  Sweden

• Swedish Air Force operates two aircraft (2 S100D / ASC890). ^[11] SAAB GlobalEye was ordered as replacements in June 2022. ^[12]

  Thailand

• Royal Thai Air Force operates two aircraft delivered completely in October 2012. ^{[13] [14] [15]}

  Poland

• Polish Air Force – Purchased two used (ex-UAE) Saab 340 AEW early warning and control aircraft in July 2023, with deliveries planned to start in 2024. ^{[16] [17]} The first plane was delivered in March 2024. ^[18] The second aircraft was delivered in June 2024. ^[19]

  Ukraine

• Ukraine was assigned 2 ASC 890 (S100D) from Sweden as part of the 16th support package. ^[20] In June 2025 one of them reportedly participated in the first ever shooting down of a Russian Su-35 by F-16. ^[4]

Former operators

  Greece

• Hellenic Air Force formerly loaned two aircraft. ^{[21] [ unreliable source? ]}

  United Arab Emirates

• United Arab Emirates Air Force – 2 operated. ^[22] Retired in 2020 after replacement by GlobalEye (Bombardier 6000). ^[23]

Saab 2000 AEW&C operators

In December 1988, Saab decided to build a stretched derivative of its Saab 340, called Saab 2000 .

  Pakistan

• Pakistan Air Force operates 9 aircraft. ^{[24] [25]}

  Saudi Arabia

• Royal Saudi Air Force operates 2 aircraft.

Specifications (Saab 340 AEW&C)

Data from ^[26]

General characteristics

• Crew: 6
• Length: 20.57 m (67 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 21.44 m (70 ft 4 in)
• Height: 6.97 m (22 ft 10 in)
• Empty weight: 10,300 kg (22,707 lb) ^[27]
• Gross weight: 13,155 kg (29,000 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × General Electric CT7-9B , 1,390 kW (1,870 hp) each

Performance

• Endurance: 5+ hours ^[27]
• Service ceiling: 7,620 m (25,000 ft)

See also

Related development

• Saab 340
• Saab 2000 AEW&C

Related lists

• List of airborne early warning aircraft

References

1. "Flygplan S 100 B" (in Swedish). forsvarsmakten.se. Archived from the original on 2011-08-12. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
2. Alex Stezhensky (22 April 2025). "'It's not the Saab everyone was expecting.' What aircraft circled over Lviv Oblast and why — Zhyrokhov". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
3. "Ukraine Receives First Swedish Saab 340 AEW&C 'Flying Radar'". Military Watch Magazine. April 21, 2025. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
4. "Ukraine's F-16 Took Down Russian Fighter Jet in 'Historic First': Report - Newsweek". Newsweek. 2025-06-09. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
5. Zorro, Mario H. (2018-05-01). "Saab 340 AEWC". Plane-Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
6. "Sweden announces $1.3 billion in military aid for Ukraine in largest package ever" . Retrieved 2024-06-01.
7. "Military support package 16 to Ukraine, Ministry of Defense" . Retrieved 2024-05-29.
8. "On-camera confession: Pakistan's ex-air marshal admits AWACS damaged in Operation Sindoor" . Retrieved 2025-05-16.
9. G, C. (2025-05-28). "Four Days in May: The India-Pakistan Crisis of 2025 • Stimson Center". Stimson Center. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
10. "Thai Military Aircraft Designations". designation-systems.net. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
11. "S 100 D" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-02-25.
12. "FMV beställer två GlobalEye till Försvarsmakten".
13. Gripen International Archived 2010-02-04 at the Wayback Machine Gripen agreement between Sweden and Thailand signed.
14. "Thailand Buying JAS-39 Gripens, AWACS". Archived from the original on 2011-02-14. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
15. "Gripeny operacyjne w Tajlandii – Altair Agencja Lotnicza". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15.
16. saab.com – Saab receives order for airborne early warning aircraft from Poland (25 July 2023)
17. "Poland signs for Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft". Janes.com. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
18. "Pierwszy Saab 340 z radarem Erieye już w Polsce". 6 March 2024.
19. "Poland receives second Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft from Sweden". 2024-06-12.
20. Regeringskansliet, Regeringen och (2024-05-29). "Militärt stödpaket 16 till Ukraina – ny förmåga som stärker Ukrainas luftförsvar och stöd som möter Ukrainas prioriterade behov". Regeringskansliet (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-04-24.
21. "S100B Argus Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Aircraft".
22. "Saab signs contract with United Arab Emirates for airborne surveillance system" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
23. Allport, Dave (February 2021). "Saab AEW&C aircraft return to Sweden". Air International . Vol. 100, no. 2. p. 13. ISSN   0306-5634.
24. "Aerial Eyes: Pakistans New AWACS Fleets". Archived from the original on 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
25. "Pakistan Air Force receives AEW&C radar equipment from Saab". Air Force Technology. 16 April 2019. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
26. Fredriksson, Urban (2004-06-07). "Saab 340 AEW". Sweden. Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
27. Försvarsmakten. "S 100 D". Archived from the original on 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2015-04-23.

External links

Media related to Saab 340 AEW&C at Wikimedia Commons