The first Global Hawk unmmaned surveillance aircraft for NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) program arrived at Edwards Air Fo...
The first Global Hawk unmmaned surveillance aircraft for NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) program arrived at Edwards Air Force Base, California on Dec. 19 completing its first flight.
The test flight marks the start of six months of ground and airborne testing at Edwards before the aircraft is ferried to its main operating center in Italy.
NATO AGS is a derivative of the wide-area surveillance Global Hawk, with a few small changes in the communications software to meet certain criteria for operation in Europe.
Launched in 2012, the AGS program uses remotely piloted aircraft, sensors, ground stations and mission support to conduct real-time surveillance. The system will include five aircraft and European Selex ES supplied mobile and transportable ground stations that will provide data link connectivity, data processing and exploitation capabilities to multiple deployed and non-deployed operational users.
The unmanned air vehicles rolled off the Northrop Grumman factory line in San Diego in June 2015. The system will go live in Italy from 2017 at the Italian Air Force’s Sigonella base in Sicily.
The Global Hawk with its 30 hours endurance will perform persistent surveillance over wide areas from high-altitude in any weather or light condition. The system will give commanders a comprehensive picture of the situation on the ground.
The aircraft is equipped with leading-edge technology, including the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program AESA radar that can generates high-resolution remote sensing imagery and track moving targets in ground.
The AGS system is being acquired by 15 Allies (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States).
The NATO-owned and -operated AGS core capability will enable the Alliance to perform persistent surveillance over wide areas from high-altitude long-endurance aircraft in any weather or light condition. The system will give commanders a comprehensive picture of the situation on the ground.
Launched in 2012, the AGS program uses remotely piloted aircraft, sensors, ground stations and mission support to conduct real-time surveillance. The system will include five aircraft and European Selex ES supplied mobile and transportable ground stations that will provide data link connectivity, data processing and exploitation capabilities to multiple deployed and non-deployed operational users.
The unmanned air vehicles rolled off the Northrop Grumman factory line in San Diego in June 2015. The system will go live in Italy from 2017 at the Italian Air Force’s Sigonella base in Sicily.
The Global Hawk with its 30 hours endurance will perform persistent surveillance over wide areas from high-altitude in any weather or light condition. The system will give commanders a comprehensive picture of the situation on the ground.
The aircraft is equipped with leading-edge technology, including the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program AESA radar that can generates high-resolution remote sensing imagery and track moving targets in ground.
The AGS system is being acquired by 15 Allies (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States).
The NATO-owned and -operated AGS core capability will enable the Alliance to perform persistent surveillance over wide areas from high-altitude long-endurance aircraft in any weather or light condition. The system will give commanders a comprehensive picture of the situation on the ground.
