"The first giant NATO drones will be delivered to Sigonella in Sicily, Italy, next year; following flight tests and approval procedures, it is expected that they will then soon be ready for deployment. The multi-billion surveillance programme is directed primarily against Russia, which means it is likely to further escalate the Ukraine conflict", says Bundestag Member Andrej Hunko, speaking in response to the German Federal Ministry of Defence’s Answer to a Minor Interpellation on the subject.
The "Alliance Ground Surveillance" (AGS) programme in Sicily is funded mainly by the USA, Germany, Norway and Italy. Thirteen NATO members participate, predominantly Eastern European countries. The reconnaissance programme using optical sensors is based on five "Global Hawk" type US drones and a number of transportable ground stations. Under the AGS agreement, the drones will be delivered by 2017.
Andrej Hunko adds:
"Last month, the manufacturer Northrop Grumman rolled out the first Global Hawk. According to the Italian approval authority, test flights of this drone, known as 'NATO 1', can begin in Sicily in spring 2016. NATO had already practised moving the giant drones in a Europe-wide manoeuvre last year, using US drones of the same type.
Behind the scenes, the German Ministry of Defence is driving forward at high speed to arm itself with drones. At this point it sees their integration into civil airspace as the main stumbling block. That is why senior members of the Bundeswehr are working in various international NATO and European Union bodies on approval procedures for large fighter, surveillance and spy drones.
NATO AGS is another programme that serves the defence industry. A large chunk of it goes to the European Airbus Group, whose defence division is responsible for the entire ground segment. I think that corruption may play a part here. The Federal Government must explain why building began on a satellite communication system in Sigonella in January without the planned market study being conducted.
The initial expenditure on the programme amounts to EUR 1.45 billion, to which operating costs will have to be added. As a result, many member countries have withdrawn from the programme. The Federal Government must also pull out.
Nor am I in favour of continuing the German drone programme based on the 'Euro Hawk' drone also built by Northrop Grumman. According to the Federal Ministry of Defence, test flights of the prototype that has already been delivered are to resume in summer 2016.
So the alleged exit from the project announced two years ago turns out to have been a sop to assuage public indignation at the multi-billion project. I assume that the purpose of the 'Euro Hawk' test flights is to draw conclusions about the structurally identical 'Triton' drone, which the Federal Ministry of Defence recently announced it would be procuring."
Download the Answer to the Minor Interpellation "NATO drones in the Alliance Ground Surveillance programme": http://www.andrej-hunko.de/start/download/doc_download/645-nato-drones-in-the-alliance-ground-surveillance-programme