| NATO Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Force | |
|---|---|
 NATO AGS RQ-4D Phoenix | |
| Active | September 2015 – present |
| Country | Member countries |
| Role | Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance |
| Size | 400 |
| Part of | Allied Air Command[citation needed] |
| Garrison/HQ | Sigonella,Italy |
| Equipment | RQ-4D Phoenix |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Brigadier General Andrew M. Clark[1] |
Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) is aNATO program to acquire anairborne ground surveillance capability (Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program on theNorthrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk). TheNATO Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Force (NISRF) formerly known as theNATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force (NAGSF) was activated in September 2015, after it was formally agreed on the configuration of the unit responsible for operating the remotely piloted aircraft.[2]
In a similar fashion as withStrategic Airlift Capability the program is run by 15 NATO member states:Bulgaria,Czech Republic,Denmark,Estonia,Germany,Italy,Latvia,Lithuania,Luxembourg,Norway,Poland,Romania,Slovakia,Slovenia, and theUnited States.[2]
The AGS Core comprises five RQ-4D Phoenix remotely piloted aircraft and the associated European-sourced ground command and control stations, and is based atAGS Main Operating Base in Sigonella, Italy. Approximately 400 personnel are located at Sigonella. Additionally, a small number of staff elements are based atAllied Command Operations inMons, Belgium and at Allied Air Command inRamstein, Germany.[2]
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The programme originated in NATO's Defence Planning Committee in 1992, with the capability acquisition being defined in 1995. It was initially intended to be based on already existing or in development ground surveillance assets, later also including systems based on American or Europeanradar. These approaches failed to obtain sufficient support however.[2]
In 2004, NATO decided to move forward with a "mixed-fleet approach". The air segment was to includeAirbus A321 aircraft and Global HawkUAVs, while the ground segment was to comprise an extensive set of fixed and deployable ground stations. Due to declining European defence budgets, it was decided to drop the mixed-fleet approach in 2007, in favor of a simplified approach based on an air segment of Global Hawk Block 40 UAV and its associatedMP-RTIP sensor, while the ground segment was to remain unchanged.[2]
In September 2009, the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Management Agency (NAGSMA) was established after the participating countries agreed on the Programme Memorandum of Understanding (PMOU). At the2010 Lisbon summit, the AGS featured as one of the most pressing capability needs of the Alliance. A procurement contract was signed withNorthrop Grumman on 20 May 2012.[2]
AGS was scheduled to reach initial operational capability by the end of 2017 with a main operating base atSigonella Air Base, Italy.[3][4] From 2016 to 2019, a number of test flights took place in order to develop and test AGS capabilities. These included the firstremote controlled flight from the AGS Main Operating Base in Sigonella at the end of 2017.[2]
FirstGlobal Hawk Block 40 UAVs destined for the NATO AGS program rolled offNorthrop Grumman production line inPalmdale, California on 4 June 2015.[3][5][6] One arrived atEdwards Air Force Base on December 19, 2015 completing its first flight[7] and the rest stayed inplant 42 located in Palmdale.
In July 2017, the USAF assigned the Mission Designation Series (MDS) of RQ-4D to the NATO AGS air vehicle.[8]
The first RQ-4D aircraft arrived at Sigonella Air Base (NAS2) on 21 November 2019. At that time, all five aircraft were undergoing developmental test flights. Initial operational capability (IOC) was expected in the first half of 2020.[9] The last RQ-4D aircraft arrived on 12 November 2020.[10]Initial operational capability was achieved in February 2021.[11]
In 2015, NISRF participated in exercise Trident Juncture 2015 from NATO AGS Capability Testbed (NACT)[2] inThe Hague, Netherlands. During Unified Vision 2016, NISRF took part in an interoperability trial withNATO AWACSE-3A for two weeks.[12]
Since 2022, NISRF drones have conducted numerous missions on eastern flank of the Alliance, mainly in theBlack Sea region, followingRussia's invasion of Ukraine. On 13 September 2023 a NISRF drone flew for the first time overFinland. The mission came as NATO continues to step up reconnaissance missions on the eastern flank. The mission also helped operators familiarize themselves with the new terrain.[13][14]
The AGS system comprises air, ground, mission operation and support elements. The air segment comprises five Global Hawk Block 40 and their control stations, while the ground segment includes an operational centre for analysis and data transmission (MOS - Mission Operations Support), two Transportable General Ground Stations (TGGS), and six Mobile General Ground Stations (MGGS). The MOS and TGGS of the ground segment are provided by the Italian companyLeonardo S.p.A.. The company also coordinates the industrial participation of Italy, Bulgaria and Romania.[15] The Mobile General Ground Stations are provided byAirbus Defence and Space.[16]
