Press Release (2002) 106 16 Sep. 2002

NATO allies to ratify major agreement on interoperability of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) NATO nations have commenced a formal ratification process of a major agreement in the area of UAV interoperability. In the current drive to enhance Alliance defence capabilities, UAV technology is at the cutting edge of the Revolution in Military Affairs, as clearly demonstrated by military operations, notably in Afganistan, and earlier in the Gulf. The agreement is detailed in what NATO calls a "STANAG" - a Standardization Agreement document. STANAG 4586 sets out the specifications of a common ground station for UAV's used by NATO forces. Implementation of the agreement will enable information between different national UAV's to be collated and shared via common ground stations, which in turn will mean that NATO and national commanders will have far greater control over the use of UAV's in military operations. Commenting on the agreement, Mr. Robert Bell, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Support, said that "STANAGs rarely hit the headlines", but that this one "is really good news for NATO's armaments community". Our work is not just focussed on the big armaments projects, he said, "but on the day-to-day, bread and butter tasks that enable allied armed forces to work together". For further information please contact Mr. Eduard Dransfeld, Defence Support Division, NATO, Brussels, Belgium, tel 00-32-2-707.4297, fax 00-32-2-707.4103, e-mail: naval.arm@hq.nato.int

Tel: Fax: +32 (0)2 707 50 41 +32 (0)2 707 50 57 B-1110 Brussels/Bruxelles http://www.nato.int press@hq.nato.int