BAMS-D Surpasses 10K Combat Flight Hours

Photo courtesy Northrop Grumman.

By Danielle Lucey



The Northrop Grumman-built Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator has flown more than 10,000 combat flying hours for the U.S. Navy, supporting maritime surveillance missions in the Middle East. 



The aircraft, based on the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system platform and modified for the maritime environment, currently supports 15 missions a month. These high-altitude missions regularly surpass the 24-hour mark. 



“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,” says Capt. James Hoke, program manager for the aircraft with Naval Air Systems Command. “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.”



BAM-D is currently meeting the U.S. Navy’s requirements for the MQ-4C Triton, which will use a new sensor suite optimized for maritime environments. The Navy plans to have 68 Tritons built after using two test aircraft to further develop its capabilities through 2016.



“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, Triton program director with Northrop Grumman. “Coupled with anti-ice/deice 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.”