BAMS Operation Concept
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The world’s P-3 Orion fleets have served for a long time, and many are reaching the end of their lifespans. In the USA, and possibly beyond, the new P-8 Poseidon Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft will take up the P-3’s role. While the P-8’s base 737-based airframe offers strong service & maintenance arguments in its favor, the airframe is expensive enough that the P-3s cannot be replaced on a 1:1 basis.

In order to extend the P-8 fleet’s reach, and provide additional capabilities, the Poseidon is expected to work with at least one companion platform under the BAMS (Broad Area Maritime Surveillance) and/or PUMAS (Persistent Unmanned Aerial Surveillance) programs. The BAMS UAV competition is widely seen as a fight between Northrop Grumman’s high-flying, jet-powered RQ-4 Global Hawk, and General Atomics’ turboprop-powered Mariner (a cousin of its MQ-9 Reaper); but Boeing entered an optionally unmanned G550 business jet.

This DID FOCUS Article explains the BAMS concept, the program’s key requirements, and its international angle. We’ll also cover ongoing contracts and key events related to the program, which chose Northrop Grumman’s navalized RQ-4N Gloal Hawk.

The Lockheed Martin/General Atomics team had protested that award to the GAO – but their protest was recently denied, leaving the program free to move forward.

• Next-Gen Maritime Patrol Systems: Issues and Options
• BAMS: Requirements and Missions
• BAMS: The International Angle [updated]
• BAMS: The Industry Team [new]
• BAMS: Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
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Watchkeeper 450
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Britain has given the green light to the Watchkeeper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Program. The initial August 2005 contract award to Thales UK was worth around GBP 700 million, and the program expected to create or sustain up to 2,100 high-quality manufacturing jobs in the UK. The Watchkeeper platform is based on Elbit Systems’ Hermes 450 UAV platform, and executed via a joint venture.

Watchkeeper will be an important system, working as the likely medium-range mainstay within a complementary suite of manned (vid. ASTOR Sentinel R1) and unmanned (Buster, Desert Hawk, MQ-9 Reaper) aerial Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition Reconnaissance (ISTAR) systems. This will make it a core element of the UK Ministry of Defence’s Network-Enabled Capability strategy.

The latest update to this FOCUS Article includes the phase-out of the old and unloved Phoenix drones, and a flight hour milestone on the front lines for the early-deployment version…

• Watchkeeper: Rationale & Concept
• Watchkeeper MK450: The Platform
• Watchkeeper: Team and Program
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
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cutaway view
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In June 2006, Saab signed a SEK 8.3 billion provisional contract to supply S100B Argus turboprop airborne early warning (AEW&C) systems to Pakistan. According to earlier reports at Pakistani Defence, Pakistan aimed to buy 14 SAAB 2000 aircraft from Sweden: 7 for the PAF’s AEW&C role as Argus aircraft, and the remaining 7 for the state-owned PIA airline. Saab releases, however, have made no mention of a passenger version.

The Saab aircraft beat a number of other competitors, including Bombardier’s Dash-8/Q200 and US offers to sell the E-2C Hawkeye system. The Argus AEW&C award also caps a 25-year quest by the Pakistani Air force. The buy was recently reduced somewhat for financial reasons to 5 aircraft, but the first plane has now been rolled out….

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“Found a bunker!”
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BAE Systems Electronics and Integrated Solutions, Inc. of Washington DC received an $8.2 million contract for the ATAEM program. Their goal is to design, build and demonstrate a proof-of-concept system that can find and possibly map underground facilities from an airborne platform, using active electromagnetic techniques. At this time $2.8 million has been obligated. Det 1 of the AFRL at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base OH issued the contract (FA8650-08-C-7804).

Wanted: targeting pod
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In September 2006, “The Major’s Email: British Harrier Support in Afghanistan, Revisited” described publicly-aired dissatisfaction with Harrier close air performance in Afghanistan. In the course of analyzing the issues raised, DID commented:

“British Harrier pilots have had difficulty identifying ground targets before; this was an issue in the 1982 Falklands War, for instance, and at least one pilot (Sqn. Leader Bob Iveson) got shot down trying. American Harrier pilots now rely on their LITENING surveillance and targeting pods to make their Harriers effective amidst the urban warfare challenges of Iraq; British Harriers use a Thales-Vinten Joint Reconnaissance Pod instead, which lacks the targeting functions and may not have been carried as integral equipment on the flights in question. In this case, as in so many others, the aircraft’s ancillary systems can be as important as the platform itself when it comes to determining battlefield performance.”

Now Britain has moved to address this exact issue, in the wake of an an Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR)” request from front-line commanders in late 2006…

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P-3/ CP-140 Aurora
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Jan 26/07: MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. announced a go-ahead to begin Phase 3 of a January 2003, 3-phase, CDN $200 million (then about $127.2 million) development and production contract with Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND). As prime contractor, they will deliver a new airborne radar surveillance solution for Canada’s fleet of CP-140 Aurora (a localized P-3 Orion) maritime patrol aircraft that will give Canada’s fleet the ability able to detect, track, and image objects moving on land as well as at sea.

Given Canada’s commitments on the ground in Afghanistan, and employment of American P-3 Orion and British Nimrod MRA2 aircraft for ground surveillance in that theater, this contract is almost in time and may yet contribute to NATO’s Afghan mission. DID has now updated this article to include information about the radar systems being installed….

Proteus with MP-RTIP pod
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Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in San Diego, CA received a $6.6 million fixed-price-incentive-firm contract modification for engineering changes to prepare one RQ-4 Global Hawk Air Vehicle to receive Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) capabilities. It also covers preliminary modifications to a second Air Vehicle in preparation for MP-RTIP insertion, and includes an option for aircraft ballast. At this time, $3.3 million have been obligated. Solicitations began October 2005, negotiations were complete November 2006, andwork will be complete by February 2009. The Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH issued the contract (FA8620-05-C-4692/P00009).

Global Hawk Cutaway
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The MP-RTIP radar is an important part of the USA’s future surveillance capabilities. This AESA radar is slated to equip future Block 40 Global Hawks, and will also feature in NATO’s AGS battlefield surveillance program and future E-8 J-STARS upgrades or successors. DID recently covered MP-RTIP testing on Rutan’s unusual-looking Proteus.

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solar concentrator array
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DID recently covered an Australian contract to Boeing subsidiary Spectrolab for 500,000 solar concentrator cells to be used in remote areas. This was a particularly significant development given the call from combat commanders for renewable energy sources at American forward operating bases.

In-Q-Tel funded Skybuilt Power remains the front runner, and firms like Global Solar are already working with CECOM on related solar options from man-portable battery rechargers to self-powering tents. Leading defense integrator Boeing appears to have noticed the trend, however, and Spectrolab just announced another win via a 12-month contract from SolFocus, Inc. of Palo Alto, CA. Under this contract 600,000 solar concentrator cells will be built and delivered, with the goal of generating 10 MW of electricity at wholesale energy prices.

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Dash-8 in Dutch colors
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In the fall of 2003, the Dutch government announced the retirement and sale of its P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft fleet, including 2 aircraft stationed at Curacao that flew missions for the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. The Orions were sold to Germany (8) and Portugal (5), but their services needed to be replaced. Australia’s contracted public-private Coastwatch approach offers a solid model for such situations, and now similar Dash-8 aircraft with maritime patrol mission suites will be operating in the Caribbean – operated and managed by a private Canadian firm….

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LSI Class II competitor:
Piasecki’s Air Scout

DID’s Oct 2005 article “Four FCS UAV Sub-Contracts Awarded” noted that the Piasecki’s innovative Air Scout UAV would compete against DARPA’s OAV-II, under development by Aurora Flight Sciences’ team (GoldenEye UAVs), another team led by Honeywell International, and BAE Systems as a third contender. The final winner would equip company-sized units with a Class II UAV under the Future Combat Systems program, and are expected to be part of the program’s Phase II or Phase III spinouts.

DARPA recently began awarding incremental funding under a pair of Organic Air Vehicle-II contracts worth a total of $77.4 million. Who were the lucky two?

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