BAMS-D | NAVAIR

Mission

Naval Air Systems Command ’ randomness ( NAVAIR ) Navy & Marine Corps Unmanned Air Systems ( PMA-263 ) originally acquired the Global Hawk Maritime Demonstration ( GHMD ) platform for the growth of Navy doctrine and concepts of operations for large persistent unmanned vent vehicles. presently, the organization is sustained by the Persistent Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems ( PMA-262 ) course of study office and has been renamed the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance—Demonstrator ( BAMS-D ). To date, the BAMS-D team has utilized the RQ-4A long survival breeze vehicle to refine tactics, techniques and procedures for habit in a nautical environment .

Description

The high-flying aerial vehicle can fly persistently for more than 30 hours above most upwind. Imagery and early data obtained by the aircraft feeds by satellite into the Navy ground section consisting of a mission control element, a launch and recovery element, and a Navy-designed Tactical Auxiliary Ground Station ( TAGS ). Flown by Navy and Navy contractor pilots, the asset is controlled from Naval Air Station ( NAS ) Patuxent River, Md .
BAMS-D successfully completed its first Navy split-site deployment in back of Trident Warrior ‘ 08 and RIMPAC exercises. An aircraft, shelter and personnel were located in Pt. Mugu, Calif., while deputation command, operate and performance remained at Patuxent River, Md .
BAMS-D supported real-world operations under U.S. Northern Command, providing reconnaissance of wildfires in the rugged coastal mountains of California. Later tasking placed BAMS-D along the U.S. Gulf Coast to assess the damage left by Hurricane Ike. Despite challenging weather conditions remaining after the storm, BAMS-D detector imagination aided foremost responders in Louisiana and Texas to most efficiently deploy their resources in the massive easing effort.

BAMS-D was used to develop methods for integrating the Automatic Identification System ( AIS ) into Fleet operations. experiment using BAMS-D besides benefitted the Naval Sea Systems Command Ocean Surveillance Initiative and Oceanographer of the Navy office activities assessing utility of long-endurance, high-level unmanned systems in collecting Fleet-relevant meteorologic data .
Beginning in mid-december 2008, in response to a Secretary of Defense Deployment Order, BAMS-D dispatched a share of its system in support of the Warfighter as depart of an active Navy maritime patrol unit. Over the course of eight months, BAMS-D flew over 800 fight hours in support of the U.S. Fifth Fleet. During that time, BAMS-D has continued to collect lessons learned for BAMS UAS and the Navy ISR Family of Systems in an operational arena—while maintaining the capability for experiment and presentation at NAS Patuxent River.

Since arrival in theater in January 2009, BAMS-D has remained on continuous deployment to U.S. Central Command ( CENTCOM ) in response to a Secretary of Defense Deployment Order supporting the warfighter as part of an active Navy maritime patrol unit.

The BAMS-D team continues to support flit operational requirements in theater while concurrently providing train and testing capabilities at Patuxent River .

Specifications

Primary Function:  specifically tailored for maritime and littoral intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The BAMS-D system presently consists of two Block 10 RQ-4A air vehicles, one Mission Control Element ( MCE ), two launch and Recovery Elements ( LRE ) plus one tactical Auxiliary Ground Station ( TAGS ).
Contractor:  Northrop Grumman
Date Deployed:  January 2009
Propulsion:  1 Rolls-Royce AE3007H fanjet
Length:  44.0 feet ( 13.4 meters )
Wingspan:  116 feet ( 35.4 meters )
Height: 15.2 feet ( 4.6 meters )
Weight:  Max design gross take-off : 26,750 pounds ( 11,612 kilograms )
Ceiling:  60,000 feet ( 18,288 meters )
Crew:  4 per footing place ( 2 pilots and 2 detector operators )

Program Status

ACAT:  Non-ACAT Program
Production Phase:  Low Rate Initial Production ( LRIP ), all systems delivered
Inventory: 4