Air Force Institute of Technology - Case Study
The completion of the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system in 2021 has significantly enhanced NATO’s real-time strategic intelligence capabilities. This system, featuring five Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft based in Sigonella, Italy, enables NATO to monitor events such as unusual troop movements, unknown watercraft approaching coastlines, and natural disasters triggering humanitarian assistance or disaster relief efforts. The AGS system, representing a multinational and multiyear research and development effort with an investment exceeding EUR 2 billion, functions as “eyes in the skies” that can track moving objects on the ground and transmit actionable information swiftly to NATO intelligence analysts, military commanders, and political leaders.
The Institute overseeing the project opted to migrate from its existing DOORS platform to IBM DOORS Next, leveraging the IBM Engineering Requirements Management DOORS Family of software tools. IBM DOORS Next served as the foundation for the project, with additional integration of IBM tools such as IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management, IBM Engineering Test Management, and IBM Workflow Management, as recommended by SmarterProcess. This comprehensive approach allowed NATO to streamline its project documentation, enhance testing processes, and ensure seamless interoperability between operational and simulated components.
About Air Force Institute of Technology
Established in 1953 and based in Warsaw, the Air Force Institute of Technology (link resides outside of ibm.com) is a research institute supervised by the Polish Minister of National Defense. The Institute operates research and development divisions for aircraft system design and integration, unmanned aerial vehicles, aerial armament, aircraft engines, avionics, logistics, reliability and safety, C4ISR systems integration, airfield infrastructure and substitutes for fuels, oils and lubricants.
