AGS: NATO’s Battlefield Eye in the Sky [Alliance Ground Surveillance]

Poland joins AGS; 1st fuselage complete; Canada may contribute to operating costs; Infrastructure approved for Sigonella; Additional Reading sections updated.

July 28/14: The fuselage of the 1st NATO AGS UAV is completed at Northrop Grumman’s Moss Point, MS plant, and is now on its way to Palmdale, CA to finish production. Sources: NATO NAGSMA, “Fuselage of the First NATO AGS UAV Completed”.

April 2/14: Poland joins. Acting on an earlier decision (q.v. Oct 24/12), Polish Brigadier General Wlodzimierz Nowak signs the AGS Programme Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of his country, officially joining the Core AGS Procurement Program. This brings the number of members to 15. Sources: NATO NAGSMA, “Poland Joins AGS.”

Dec 3/13: Production begins. Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Unmanned Systems Center in Moss Point, MS officially begins production of the first NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) Block 40 Global Hawk aircraft. Sources: NGC, “Northrop Grumman Begins On-Time Production of First NATO Global Hawk”.

Sept 19/13: Block 40. A USAF RQ-4B Block 40 takes off from Grand Forks AFB, ND on the type’s 1st combat mission. Sources: USAF, “Flying into the Fight: RQ-4 Block 40 Global Hawk deploys to war for first time”.

Aug 5/13: Canada. The Canadian Press reports that Canada won’t be contributing to AGS’ purchase phase, but Canada’s NATO representative Vice-Admiral Bob Davidson says that they’ll contribute to the system’s operating costs. Sources: Canadian Press, “Decision to withdraw from NATO surveillance programs to cost Cda contracts”.

June 18/13: Infrastructure. At a meeting of the NAGSMA Investment Committee, 1st Stage Authorisation is given for 10 civil works projects that would build out the necessary infrastructure for AGS’ Main Operating Base (MOB) at Sigonella, Italy. Sources: NATOI NAGSMA News, “First Stage Authorisation for MOB at Sigonella”.