Northrop Grumman submits Final proposal for NATO AGS

28th March 2011 - 13:00 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

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An updated final proposal has been submitted by Northrop Grumman to the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Agency (NAGSMA) as part of the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) programme.

A core surveillance capability requirement for NATO nations, the proposal is based on a fleet of six Block 40 configuration of the RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The updated proposal offers an ‘affordable, executable programme’, while involvement in the AGS programme marks the first international sale of the UAV, a statement released by the company on 29 March said.

‘NATO AGS is the answer to a longstanding NATO operational requirement for a NATO-owned and operated capability to provide a picture of the ground situation to the alliance’s combatant commanders,’ said Matt Copija, programme director for the Northrop Grumman’s NATO AGS programme.

Of the 28 NATO members, 14 signed a memorandum of understanding in 2009 to fund the development phase for the programme. A contract award is expected to be awarded in July 2011.

According to NAGSMA, the programme began in 1995 and was originally intended to consist of both a manned and unmanned element, as well as several variations of ground control stations. The manned platform was to be based on the Airbus A321 commercial airliner, with the unmanned part centreing on the Global Hawk. Both platforms were to carry the Transatlantic Cooperative AGS Radar (TCAR).

However, in 2007 NATO chose to solely concentrate on a UAV-only capability, which will be equipped with the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) ground surveillance radar.