The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization appears set to tap Bombardier and manufacturing partner Saab for a new fleet of defence surveillance aircraft in what could be a major windfall for Canada's aerospace industry. The Globe's Nicolas Van Praet writes the alliance's support and procurement agency decided last week to select the partners' GlobalEye aircraft to replace its aging fleet of Boeing E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system planes, French and German news accouts report. "This NATO decision is significant as it marks the first time since 1982 that a non-Boeing aircraft will serve as NATO's common airborne surveillance backbone," Desjardins Capital Markets' Benoit Poirier said in a note. "The award has materialized faster and ended up being larger than we expected." The alliance's order is for between 10 and 12 aircraft at a list price of 550 million euros each ($878-million). The total purchase would top five billion euros not including training and maintenance. Sweden's Saab is the main manufacturer and systems integrator for GlobalEye, producing the radar, sensors, and command and control systems. Bombardier makes the airframes for the planes.