NATO Complient Ground Control System for UAV
Compliance with STANAG 4586 allows NATO member nations to jointly support military operations using their own UAVs and ground control station equipment. This increases interoperability and allows data and information processed by member nation UAVs to be shared real-time through a common ground interface.
STANAG 4586, formally ratified by NATO in 2002, defines five levels of UAV interoperability:
- Level 1 — Indirect receipt/transmission of UAV-related payload data
- Level 2 — Direct receipt of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) data where “direct” covers reception of the UAV payload data by the unmanned control system when it has direct communication with the UAV
- Level 3 — Control and monitoring of the UAV payload in addition to direct receipt of ISR and other data
- Level 4 — Control and monitoring of the UAV, less launch and recovery
- Level 5 — Control and monitoring of the UAV, plus launch and recovery
