Northrop, NATO Unveils First Ground Surveillance Aircraft

Northrop Grumman Corporation and its industry partners with NATO leaders unveiled the first NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) aircraft, wide area surveillance Global Hawk.

The unmanned aircraft is part of a broader system of systems solution that will advance the Alliance's evolving ISR needs during a full range of NATO's missions such as protection of ground troops and civilian populations, border control and maritime safety, the fight against terrorism, crisis management and humanitarian assistance in natural disasters.

"We are establishing the necessary ground stations, command and control systems, and training and logistics support services at the NATO AGS main operating base at Sigonella Air Base in Italy," Jim Edge, general manager of the NATO AGS Management Agency said in the press release on Thursday.

The high-altitude long-endurance system has the ability to fly for up to 30 hours at a time. It also provides NATO leaders with persistent global situational awareness.

The aircraft is equipped with Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) sensor. The MP-RTIP will provide critical data to commanders during operations in any weather, day or night. The NATO AGS system will also be able to fuse sensor data, continuously detect and track moving objects and provide detailed imagery.