Alliance Ground Surveillance
NATO is buying an Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system that will give commanders a picture of the situation on the ground in an area of interest.
News
- 26 Oct. 2006 - NATO
Missile defence and ground surveillance progress - 28 Apr. 2005 – NATO
NATO’s Alliance Ground Surveillance programme gains momentum - 28-29 Oct. 2004 NATO
CNAD makes good progress on ground surveillance and missile defence - 21 Nov. 2002 NATO
NATO AGS radar cooperation statement of intent
Official texts
- 24 Apr 1999 - NATO
The Alliance's Strategic Concept
PDF Library
- Oct. 2006 - NATO
NATO Briefing: Improving capabilities to meet new threats (.PDF/1000Kb)
Further Research
- NATO Library
Eng.
/ Fr.
It will consist of a mix of manned and unmanned airborne radar platforms that can look down on the ground and relay data to commanders, providing them with ‘eyes in the sky’ over a specific area.
The AGS will be produced by the Transatlantic Industrial Partnership for Surveillance (TIPS) consortium with the goal of having an initial operational capability in 2013. It will be owned and operated by NATO.
What does this mean in practice?
Just as NATO’s AWACS radar aircraft monitor Alliance airspace, the AGS will be able to look down at what is happening on the ground. It will provide situational awareness before and during NATO operations. This is an essential capability for political decision makers and military planners, and will be a key enabler for NATO’s cutting-edge Response Force.
More...How did it evolve?
NATO has been working on the development and procurement of an AGS capability for over a decade. Airborne ground surveillance during NATO operations in the Balkans in the 1990s was provided by the US JSTARS and French Horizon systems.
More...Which NATO bodies have a central role?
The AGS Steering Committee is the focal point for the AGS programme. The Alliance Ground Surveillance Support Staff supports the Steering Committee, drawing upon the NATO Command, Control and Communications Agency, for contracting support, as necessary. The AGS programme is being harmonized in line with the transformation of NATO's Airborne Early Warning and Control (AWACS) programme.
