Northrop Grumman announced Tuesday that it has submitted its proposal for the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance system. Northrop leads the transatlantic industry team chosen by NATO to supply the system. The contract award is anticipated in October. Matt Copija, Northrop’s AGS program director, said the system will be “a critical component of the NATO Response Force,” giving alliance members “continuous ground situational awareness” so that they may “minimize the need to put forces in harm’s way without foreknowledge.” AGS features Northrop’s RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 40 aircraft equipped with the MP-RTIP radar, mobile and transportable ground stations, and a mission operation support center located at NATO’s main Global Hawk operating base in Sigonella, Italy. (For background, see Update on NATO AGS from the Daily Report archive.)
The Space Force operates satellites that can peer hundreds of miles to observe threats like missile launches on Earth to other spacecraft in orbit. Now, one of the service’s acquisition arms wants to make sure USSF satellites can keep track of dangers right next or on board them.