[Avionics Today 12-23-2015] Northrop Grumman has completed the successful first test flight of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Alliance Ground Surveillance Management Agency (NAGSMA) first Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) aircraft. A derivative of the wide-area surveillance Global Hawk, the unmanned aircraft has the ability to fly for up to 30 hours at a time.
NATO’s first Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) aircraft, built by Northrop Grumman, successfully completed its first flight on Dec. 19, 2015. Photo: Alyssa Cooper.
The high-altitude long-endurance system will perform all-weather, persistent wide-area terrestrial and maritime surveillance in near real-time. According to Northrop, the aircraft’s Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) sensor is capable of fusing sensor data, continuously detecting and tracking moving objects, and providing imagery of selected objects.
The NATO-owned and operated system will provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to support a range of NATO missions such as protection of ground troops and civilian populations, border control, maritime safety and humanitarian assistance.