U.S. Navy Surveillance Decision Due Soon

The U.S. Navy has promised to announce the winner of its Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) competition on March 5. The BAMS requirement for a high-altitude, long endurance platform has provoked an intriguing contest. Northrop Grumman was seen as the leading contender, with a version of the Global Hawk UAV equipped with a new radar from the company’s Baltimore facility, plus enhanced communications links. General Atomics teamed with Lockheed Martin to offer the Mariner, a version of the Predator-B. Then Boeing entered the fray, with an unmanned version of the Gulfstream G550 business jet, equipped with a Raytheon surveillance radar. A decision was originally due late last year.