NATO drones providing critical intelligence to Alliance to deter enemies

Europe, News September 9, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

NATO’s Alliance Ground Surveillance Force (NAGSF) is effectively operating RQ-4D drones to collect Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) data sets to prepare activities supporting the defense of NATO Allies and deterrence against adversaries.

According to the NATO Air Command (AIRCOM), the NAGSF has conducted countless missions and accumulated hundreds of flying hours on the eastern flank after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.

The AIRCOM statement highlighted that continuous and comprehensive situational awareness is necessary to succeed in any military operation. Therefore NATO drone unit regularly operates RQ-4Ds during extended missions and make legitimate use of international airspace.

“As NATO’s intelligence hub, NAGSF collects, collates, exploits, and distributes products that further enable us to prepare and react appropriately to changes in the security environment at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels,” the statement added.

NAGSF Commander Brigadier General Andrew Clark said in a statement that the NATO Alliance will continue to exploit “unique and critical capability to deter our adversaries and defend the Alliance.” Brig. Gen. Clark added, “NAGSF is a prime example of member nations successfully working together to preserve the integrity of Allied territory.”

The RQ-4D is a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft designed by the U.S. defense manufacturer Northrop Grumman to support NATO’s airborne ground surveillance capability.

NATO RQ-4D Drone — ^{The NATO RQ-4D High-Altitude Long-Endurance aircraft are launched and controlled from Sigonella Air Base. They operate at a flight level above 50,000 feet – well above civilian air traffic – over NATO Allies’ territories and international waters. (Image Credit: NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force)}

NATO’s RQ-4D operations are controlled from Ramstein, Germany. The drone is a modified version of the U.S. RQ-4 Block 40 Global Hawk aircraft and has a range of 16,113km (8,700nm). The surveillance drone features advanced radar systems and can fly at a maximum altitude of 60,000ft (18,288m).

According to Deputy Chief of Staff Operations at Allied Air Command Brigadier General Christoph Pliet, “The NATO RQ-4D is a key contributor to the situational awareness of the Alliance and the NAGSF team of multinational experts at the AGS Main Operating Base at Sigonella processes these ISR products and collates them with data from other sources.”

Brigadier General Pliet added, “Final products are then distributed to the 31 member nations of NATO and used to inform decisions for military operations to protect our Allies.”