|
 BAMS
will supply the US Navy with persistent global intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance system to protect the fleet
and provide a capability to detect, track, classify and identify
maritime, littoral and land targets. three companies are competing
on this program. Teams are led by Northrop Grumman,
Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
(more...) |
| 
The Lockheed Martin teaming includes General
Atomics, offering the Mariner
Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) designed for operations at
an altitude of 45,000 ft.. The proposed solution will augment
a fleet of manned maritime surveillance platforms, such as the
Lockheed martin P3C and future P-8A (MMA) aircraft. The platform
proposed by the team is the Mariner, a high altitude derivative
of the Predator B (Reaper)
system, designed to operate as an all-weather, multi-mission
altitude agile, persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
asset supporting naval operations. Mariner shares several systems
with the Reaper, including major fuselage elements, avionics,
flight controls and powerplant (both are using the Honeywell
TPE-331-10GD turbo prop engine with 49 kVA power generator).
Northrop Grumman is offering the maritime
derivative of the Global
Hawk, designated RQ-4N for the BAMS program. According to
Northrop Grumman, BAMS will benefit from a HALE
platform, since the whole program could utilize only five
orbits operating at a range of 2,000 nautical miles, or even
three, operating at 3,000 nmi orbits, thus minimizing the operating
bases required for the global mission with assured worldwide
access to all mission areas, independent on local operating
bases. The company claims that the HALE platform is better positioned
to support ISR missions conducted over very large areas, since
these platforms can support the highest rate of 'target revisit',
in order to determine its status, location, heading and intentions.
 Boeing
is offering an optionally piloted platform for BAMS, based on
a special mission Gulfstream G550 platform, currently in US
Navy service. Boeing popposes to leverage the investments made
in its P-8A Posedon to ensure a high degree of commonality between
the manned and unmanned maritime surveillance platforms. Boeing's
BAMS team also includes Gulfstream, Raytheon, Rolls-Royce and
Honeywell. In the BAMS configuration the unmanned G550 has a
maximum takeoff weight of 95,000 lbs (43,250 kg). It will offer
mission endurance of 16 hours, operational ceiling of 51,000
ft and top speed of 480 knots (440 kt. Cruise and 350 kt loiter).
The aircraft will be fitted with an advanced digital radar system
and EO/IR sensor, navigation radar, due regard optical system
based in a conformal 'gondola' shaped bay, ESM sensors, common
datalink and wideband satellite coms.
Operators in a combat/hazardous environment are often subjected
to situations that test the limits of physical and cognitive
abilities. Input devices for human-technology interaction therefore
must be flexible, easy to use, and must reflect the potential
need for common control of computer-based assets such as a robot
or wearable computer.
Topics covered in this review:
|
