On 11 August 2021, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) signed a contract with Northrop Grumman to provide up to five years of In-Service Support for the NATO Allied Ground Surveillance (AGS) Air Segment. The contract will start on 1 September 2021, marking the official beginning of the In-Service Support Phase of the NATO AGS Core System.

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The AGS capability enables the Alliance to perform persistent surveillance over wide areas from a high-altitude long-endurance aircraft, operating at considerable distances and in any weather or light condition. Using advanced radar sensors, these systems continuously detect and track moving objects and provide radar imagery of areas of interest and stationary objects (Picture source: NATO)

Through this contract, NSPA will support fleet readiness, providing a full portfolio of services such as Repair, Engineering, Technical and On Site Maintenance. This will include a team of permanent Contractor Technicians and Engineers that will operate the system from the Main Operating Base (MOB ) in Sigonella, Italy, in support of NATO Allied Ground Surveillance Force operations.

The handover of NATO AGS from the NATO AGS Management Organisation (NAGSMO) to the NSPA, on behalf of the 30 NATO Allies, started in December 2020 and will be completed on 1 September 2021. From that date, NSPA will officially become the Life Cycle Manager for the AGS Core System, providing full logistics support and system engineering to keep the AGS system operationally relevant for the benefit of the 30 Allies.

This requires establishing and managing a suite of Sustainment Contracts in support of the NATO AGS Force (NAGSF) operations. As of 1 September 2021, NSPA will also become the Competent Body for the Continued and Continuing Airworthiness of the AGS Air Segment.

"We have a long legacy of partnering with the NATO AGS Force," said Kenn Todorov, sector vice president, global sustainment and modernization, Northrop Grumman. "We will continue to deliver capabilities and services that optimize aircraft availability and fleet readiness while supporting the uninterrupted execution of the Alliance's mission of persistent regional defense and deterrence."

The NATO AGS system is a unique state-of-the-art capability that provides a near real time (NRE) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability to all NATO 30 Allies. The system achieved Initial operational capability in February 2021.

"The signature of this contract with Northrop Grumman marks another major milestone towards the In-Service Support Phase of the NATO AGS Core System. It will enable NSPA, in its role as Life Cycle Manager of the system, to sustain this key capability on behalf of the Alliance" said NSPA General Manager, Mr Peter Dohmen (Picture source: NATO)