The Saab 340 AEW&C is a Swedish

airborne early warning and control An airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system is an airborne radar early warning system designed to detect aircraft, ships, vehicles, missiles and other incoming projectiles at long ranges, as well as performing command and control of the ...

(AEW&C) aircraft. A variant of the

Saab 340 The Saab 340 is a Swedish twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by Saab AB and Fairchild Aircraft. It is designed to seat 30–36 passengers and, as of July 2018, there were 240 operational aircraft used by 34 differen ...

aircraft, it is designated S 100B Argus by the

Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( or just ) is the air force Military branch, branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalatin ...

Radar

Compared to the traditional circular radar on AWACS planes, such as the

E-3 Sentry The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing. E-3s are commonly known as AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System). Derived from the Boeing 707 airliner, it provides all-weath ...

, the Saab 340 has a non-movable PS-890 AESA radar made with the

Erieye The Erieye radar system is an Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) developed by Saab Electronic Defence Systems, formerly Ericsson Microwave Systems, of Sweden. It uses active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology. The Er ...

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. The mounted radar is capable of tracking ships, planes and missiles up to 190–250 mi (300–400 km), while at an altitude of .

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 An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled antenna array in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the a ...

(AESA)

early warning radar An early-warning radar is any radar system used primarily for the long-range detection of its targets, i.e., allowing defences to be alerted as ''early'' as possible before the intruder reaches its target, giving the air defences the maximum tim ...

. 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 Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft (ASC 890) will be sent to Ukraine, in the 16th military support package. Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C aircraft belonging to

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

were used during the

2025 India–Pakistan conflict The 2025 India–Pakistan conflict was a brief armed conflict between India and Pakistan that began on 7 May 2025, after India launched missile strikes on Pakistan, in a military campaign codenamed Operation Sindoor. India said that the operat ...

. Following a

BrahMos The BrahMos (also designated as PJ-10)PAF Base Bholari PAF Base Bholari is a Main operating base (MOB) of the Pakistan Air Force located at Bholari north-east of Karachi in Sindh and is home to the 41st Wing. Inaugurated in late 2017, the installation is PAF's newest airbase which is controlled by ...

the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

claimed to have destroyed a Saab 2000 AEW&C aircraft. This claim has been denied by Pakistani officials.

Variants

;Saab 340B AEW / S 100B Argus :(FSR-890)

, 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 :()

Royal Thai Armed Forces The Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF; ; ) are the armed forces of the Kingdom of Thailand. The Highest Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces (จอมทัพไทย; ) is the King of Thailand. The armed forces are managed by the Minist ...

designation for the Saab 340 AEW&C.

Operators

;Current ; *

operates two aircraft (2 S100D / ASC890). SAAB GlobalEye was ordered as replacements in June 2022. ; *

Royal Thai Air Force The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) (; ) is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913 as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force has engaged in numerous major and minor conflicts. During the ...

operates two aircraft delivered completely in October 2012. ; *

Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force () is the aerial warfare Military branch, branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 26,000 military personnel an ...

– Purchased two used (ex-UAE) Saab 340 AEW early warning and control aircraft in July 2023, with deliveries planned to start in 2024. The first plane was delivered in March 2024. The second aircraft was delivered in June 2024. ; * Ukraine was assigned 2 ASC 890 (S100D) from Sweden as part of the 16th support package. In June 2025 one of them reportedly participated in the first ever shooting down of a Russian

Su-35 The Sukhoi Su-35 (-35; NATO reporting name: Flanker-E/M, occasionally nicknamed "Super Flanker") is the designation for two improved derivatives of the Su-27 air-defence fighter. They are single-seat, twin-engine, supermaneuverable, 4.5 ge ...

. ;Former operators ; *

Hellenic Air Force The Hellenic Air Force (HAF; , sometimes abbreviated as ΠΑ) is the air force of Greece (''Hellenic'' being the endonym for ''Greek'' in the Greek language). It is considered to be one of the largest air forces in NATO, and is globally placed 1 ...

formerly loaned two aircraft. ; *

United Arab Emirates Air Force The United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) () is the air force of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), part of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. Its predecessor was established in 1968, when the Emirates were still under British rule. Since then, ...

– 2 operated. Retired in 2020 after replacement by

GlobalEye SAAB GlobalEye is a multi-role airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) platform from Swedish defence and security company Saab. GlobalEye consists of a suite of sensors using Saab's Erieye ER (Extended Range) radar and mission system, installed ...

( Bombardier 6000).

Saab 2000 AEW&C operators

In December 1988,

Saab Saab or SAAB may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Saab AB, a Swedish aircraft, aerospace and defence company, still known as SAAB, and together with subsidiaries as Saab Group ** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab ...

decided to build a stretched derivative of its

, called ''

Saab 2000 The Saab 2000 is a twin-engined high-speed turboprop airliner built by Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab. It is designed to carry 50–58 passengers and able to cruise at a maximum speed of . Production took place in Linköping, Sweden. It ...

''. ; *

operates 9 aircraft. ; *

Royal Saudi Air Force The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF; ) is the military aviation, aviation branch of the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian Armed Forces. The Royal Saudi Air Force currently has wings, squadrons, and a special forces unit dedicated to comba ...

operates 2 aircraft.

Specifications (Saab 340 AEW&C)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saab 340 AewandC 340 AWACS aircraft 1990s Swedish command and control aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1994 Twin-turboprop tractor aircraft Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear