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Northrop, Navy Elaborate on BAMS Plans

Northrop Grumman has elaborated on the differences between the MQ-4C Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) demonstrator aircraft and the planned capabilities of the production aircraft.

US Navy Capt. Robert Dishman, briefing reporters at the Navy League's Sea Air Space Exhibition on 11 April, spoke about experiences with BAMS in operational environments.

The two BAMS demonstrators are modified RQ-4As, boasting a 2,000lb payload. The production-standard BAMS will be larger and carry a thousand additional pounds of sensors. Though the demonstrators only get 15-degree coverage from electronic and visual sensors, the production model will have 360-degree capability and greatly increased sensor range.

Sensor data will be transmitted using commercial and military satellites to a mission control room staffed by four operators and two integrated instructors for training purposes.

BAMS will be based at Beale AFB, where a central maintenance hub will work on closely with Air Force Global Hawk squadrons. Additional operational bases will be maintained at four other locations - a US East Coast Naval Air Station, NAS Sigonella in Italy, Guam in the Pacific and Al Dhafra in the UAE; all international bases currently host Air Force Global Hawks. The ultimate goal is to keep permanent eyes on certain sectors of ocean.

Capt. Dishman also described the operational history of the BAMS demonstrators, which are currently deployed to Al Dhafra in the UAE, racking up 24 hours of flight time every three days in support of naval activities in the region; specifically mentioned were flights over the Strait of Hormuz, which separates Iran from the Arabian Peninsula. Over 70% of flight hours in the BAMS programme, 4,065 as of Capt. Dishman's brief, were classified as combat sorties.

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