Northrop Grumman gains NATO AGS support work
RQ-4D Phoenix operated by the NATO AGS Force. (Photo: Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman announced on 11 August that it has received a five-year, ‘multimillion-dollar’ contract from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) to support the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) Force.
The NATO AGS system of systems achieved initial operating capability in February 2021. It comprises five Northrop Grumman RQ-4D Phoenix aircraft for wide-area ISR.
The latest contract supports fleet readiness and covers operations, maintenance and support for the NATO fleet of UAVs, mission C2 facilities and training.
Work will be carried out at Sigonella Air Base in Italy.
‘The signature of this contract with Northrop Grumman marks another major milestone towards the In-Service Support Phase of the NATO AGS Core System,’ said NSPA general manager Peter Dohmen.
The NATO AGS RQ-4D is based on the USAF Global Hawk platform. Among the subsystems on the high-altitude, long-endurance UAV is a technology insertion programme radar.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
Russian fighter jet exportability threatened by sanctions, says think tank
The think tank realised its report just days before the Dubai Airshow, where the Su-57E Russian fighter jet and Yak-130M trainer and light attack aircraft will make their Middle Eastern debuts.
-
UAE: Domestic industries set to dominate the country’s $5.24 billion UAV market
The UAE is the second-highest spender on uncrewed aerial vehicles in the Middle East and the 15th-highest spender on the capability globally.
-
Raytheon, Lockheed sign with Avio to meet solid rocket motor production demand
Avio’s newly planned rocket motor plant in the US will help two of the country’s primes to increase their solid rocket motor output for their missile portfolios and meet future demand.
-
Taiwan to receive first MQ-9B drones by 2026
The delivery will include the first two of four MQ-9B aircraft to be received by the country, after the order was extended in 2024.