The UAS is developed by Northrop Grumman for the US Navy

Jan 24, 2014 14:18 GMT  ·  By
BAMS-D gains popularity with the US Navy as the Triton UAS is slowly being put together at Northrop
   BAMS-D gains popularity with the US Navy as the Triton UAS is slowly being put together at Northrop

Officials at the Northrop Grumman Corporation announce that the company's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstration (BAMS-D) unmanned demonstrator aircraft has just reached a critical milestone in its operations for the US Navy. 

The service uses the drone to conduct maritime surveillance and intelligence-gathering missions in the Middle East. Recently, BAMS-D surpassed the 10,000 combat flying hours mark, a feat that validates its performances and reliability more than an entire series of tests.

The UAS boasts a specialized suite of advanced surveillance sensors, which enable it to identify and track any potential target in the sector it is designated to investigate. This has made the drone very popular with Navy fleet commanders, who currently send it on about 15 missions per month.

The aircraft is based on Northrop's highly-popular and highly-successful Global Hawk unmanned air system (UAS), which is being used by the US Air Force and NASA, among other institutional and governmental partners. The main difference between the two is that BAMS works better at sea.

The drone is capable of conducting very long high-altitude reconnaissance flights. Fleet commanders regularly send it on missions more than 24 hours long, enabling them to collect a wealth of data in real-time without having to rely on satellite access or other surveillance and intelligence-gathering assets.

Furthermore, BAMS-S is being used as a test platform for the upcoming MQ-4C Triton UAS, which will feature a new generation of sensors suites that have never flown on aircraft before. The BAMS-D is currently being used to assess the performance of the sensors, and to inform the development process for the MQ-4C.

“BAMS-D has been extremely successful in providing a strategic picture to carrier and amphibious battle groups as they move through areas where we need more awareness,” comments the manager of the Triton project at the US Naval Air Systems Command, Captain James Hoke.

“The BAMS-D aircraft started a six-month deployment in 2009 to demonstrate a maritime surveillance capability. Since then, they have continued to be used and have truly found their role in helping secure the safety of the fleet,” the official goes on to say.

Once the BAMS program reaches an end, and evolves into the Triton, the resulting drones will be used by the US Navy alongside its Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for conducting intelligence-gathering and surveillance missions.

“We've designed Triton to carry sensors that can monitor large ocean and coastal areas with a 360-degree field of view, says Mike Mackey, who is the director of the Triton program at Northrop Grumman.

“Coupled with anti-ice/de-ice capabilities and some structural strength improvements, the system will operate in a variety of weather conditions while providing a greatly improved surveillance picture to fleet commanders,” he concludes.