MOSS POINT, Miss., Dec. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Northrop
Grumman Corporation's (NYSE: NOC) Moss
Point, Miss., Unmanned Systems Center started production of
the first NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) Block 40 Global
Hawk aircraft, enhanced to meet NATO operational requirements.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121024/LA98563LOGO)
Photos accompanying this release are available at
http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=22528.
NATO representatives, state dignitaries, community leaders and
Northrop Grumman employees gathered to celebrate the start of
production for the first of five aircraft. The system will provide
NATO with unprecedented near real-time terrestrial and maritime
situational awareness information throughout the full range of NATO
military and civil-military missions, including peacekeeping and
humanitarian relief operations. The NATO AGS system will be a major
contribution to NATO's joint intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR) capability.
"The variety of sensors and ability to support a wide range of
missions will revolutionize how NATO collects ISR," said
Jim Edge, general manager, NATO AGS
Management Agency. "It was an honor to witness the start of
production for the first NATO aircraft, and I'm excited at being
one step closer to delivering the AGS system."
"Mississippi excels at advanced
manufacturing, and the sophisticated aircraft that will be built at
Northrop Grumman's Moss Point
facility are a testament to the quality of the area's workforce,"
Gov. Phil Bryant said. "Our state is
also building a strong presence in the aerospace industry, and this
operation will certainly bolster our reputation."
The NATO AGS system will be equipped with the multimode
Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion (MP-RTIP) airborne ground
surveillance radar sensor to provide all-weather, day or night
intelligence to the NATO Alliance. The system also includes an
extensive suite of network-centric enabled line-of-sight and
beyond-line-of-sight long-range, wide-band data links.
"With the ability to fly up to 60,000 feet and for more than 30
hours, the NATO AGS system is uniquely suited to support NATO
missions worldwide," said Jim Culmo,
vice president, High-Altitude, Long Endurance Enterprise, Northrop
Grumman Aerospace Systems.
The NATO AGS system also includes European-sourced ground assets
that will provide in-theater support to commanders of deployed
forces. Mobile and transportable ground stations will provide an
interface between the AGS core system and a wide range of
interoperable NATO and national command, control, intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance systems.
NATO is acquiring the system with 15 nations participating
including Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the
United States.
The NATO Alliance Ground Management Agency awarded the prime
contract for the system to Northrop Grumman in May 2012 during the NATO Summit. The company's
primary industrial team includes EADS Deustchland GmbH (Cassidian),
Selex ES and Kongsberg, as well as leading defense companies from
all participating nations.
The NATO AGS system is a variant of the combat-proven Global
Hawk, which has logged more than 100,000 flight hours and has
supported operations in Iraq,
Afghanistan and Libya. The system has also collected weather
data in support of scientific missions and participated in
humanitarian relief efforts after the devastating natural disasters
in Haiti, Japan and the
Philippines.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems,
cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and
commercial customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
SOURCE Northrop Grumman Corporation