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 honour 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.”