NATO Selects TIPS Consortium AGS Proposal

Released on Thursday, April 22, 2004

NATO has selected the TIPS industry consortium to provide the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) capability. TIPS consortium consists of EADS, Northrop-Grumman, Thales, General Dynamics Canada, Galileo Avionica (Finmeccanica) and Indra.

The TIPS AGS proposal comprises a mixture of manned and unmanned airborne platforms carrying advanced sensors to generate a situational awareness shared ground picture that will be provided to NATO and national decision makers. The AGS program represents a 21st century core capability for NATO.

The advanced sensors carried by AGS platforms will include state-of-the-art radar technology supplied by the Transatlantic Cooperative AGS Radar (TCAR) program.

TIPS consortium expects a proposal phase later this year and a design and development contract in early 2005 with AGS platforms reaching operational capability in 2010.