By Kalwinder KaurJun 16 2012
During an event at Northrop Grumman's manufacturing facility in Palmdale, Calif., Northrop Grumman has launched the first U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System (BAMS UAS).
Northrop Grumman Corporation unveiled the first U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned aircraft in a ceremony today at the company's Palmdale, Calif., manufacturing facility. Keeping with the tradition of naming surveillance aircraft after Greek sea gods, the Navy named the aircraft Triton, the messenger of the sea. (Northrop Grumman photos by Alan Radecki)
According to Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems Sector Vice President and General Manager for unmanned systems, Duke Dufresne, Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft is a major strategic element of the U.S. Navy, and revolutionizes the potential of its naval aviation. The BAMS UAS program will bring improvements to persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
As an efficient maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system, the Northrop Grumman BAMS UAS enables various missions and at the same time allows independent operation or direct collaboration with fleet assets. BAMS will play a major role while under operation and gives a seamless picture of surface threats to commanders. As the unmanned segment of the Navy's Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Force, it stretches across the vast areas of Open Ocean and littoral regions.
Originally designated as the MQ-4C, the U.S. Navy launched the aircraft "Triton," named after a Greek God which means Greek messenger of the sea.
A Block 10 RQ-4 equipped with maritime sensors, BAMS-D (demonstrator) is currently being deployed by the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. BAMS-D provides a gist of the entire persistent capabilities of Triton's 360-degree Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS) radar for the fleet. Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems developed the MFAS radar.
At Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md, the BAMS UAS program is coordinated by the Navy's Program Executive Office (Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons), Persistent Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Office (PMA-2).
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