U.S NAVY AWARDS NORTHROP GRUMMAN BAMS CONTRACT
22 Apr 08. The Department of the Navy announced today that the Northrop Grumman Corp. has been awarded the system development and Demonstration (SDD) contract for the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System (BAMS UAS).
The BAMS UAS contract award is the culmination of a year-long source selection process since the Navy received industry proposals in May 2007. The $1.16 bn cost-plus-award-fee contract is to develop a persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data collection and dissemination capability that fulfils the maritime war fighter’s requirement for continuous battle-space awareness. The BAMS UAS will be developed using Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4N platform.
“This announcement represents the Navy’s largest investment in unmanned aircraft systems to date. The extraordinary efforts leading to this announcement have helped the BAMS UAS program begin to develop a persistent ISR capability never before available to the fleet,” said Capt. Bob Dishman, program manager for the BAMS UAS program. “This is a significant milestone for the BAMS UAS program, concluding a deliberate and meticulous source selection process that adhered to stringent Federal Acquisition Regulation and Naval Air System Command source selection processes and documentation requirements.”
The BAMS UAS is an integral part of the maritime patrol and reconnaissance Force. As an adjunct to the P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft, the BAMS UAS will provide persistent maritime and littoral intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to joint forces and fleet commanders worldwide. This capability will enhance battle-space awareness, improve force projection capabilities and protect and defend the fleet and the nation.
The System Development and Demonstration (SDD) Phase includes the design, fabrication, and delivery, of two unmanned aircraft with mission payloads and communications suites; one Forward Operating Base Mission Control System; one Systems Integration Laboratory; and one Main Operating Base Mission Control System. The BAMS UAS will provide persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) data collection and dissemination capability to the Fleet. BAMS UAS will deliver capability enabling the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force (MPRF) Family of Systems to meet the Navy’s maritime ISR requirements. Work will be performed in Bethpage, N.Y., (30 percent); San Diego, Calif., (25 percent); various locations throughout the United States (13 percent); W. Salt Lake City, Utah (9 percent); Rolling Meadows, Ill., (7 percent); Falls Church, Va., (6 percent); Baltimore, Md., (5 percent); and Norwalk, Conn., (5 percent), and work is expected to be completed in Sep 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through a request for proposals; three firms were solicited and three proposals were received. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-08-C-0023).
Northrop beat teams from Boeing and a Lockheed Martin-General Atomics team. This win makes Northrop Grumman the primary U.S. UAV supplier.
“This is a big win for Northrop Grumman,” said Larry Dickerson, Unmanned Systems Analyst for Forecast International. Northrop Grumman offered the RQ-4N, a marinized version of the Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle. Lockheed Martin and General Atomics were bidding the Mariner, a version of the latter’s Predator UAV, while Boeing and General Dynamics offered an unmanned version of the Gulfstream G550 executive aircraft.
“The U.S. Air Force is already procuring the Global Hawk, but the Navy buy will support outyear production,” Dickerson said.
The BAMS UAV will provide the U.S. Navy with a persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system. This UAV will protect the U.S. fleet and provide a