Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator, RQ-4A

Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator, RQ-4A poster art.

The U.S. Naval RQ-4A Global Hawk air vehicle can soar nearly 11 miles above the ground or up to 60,000 feet. The high-flying aerial vehicle can fly persistently for more than 30 hours above most weather. Imagery and other data obtained by the aircraft feeds by satellite into the Naval ground segment consisting of a mission control element, a launch and recovery element, and a Naval-designed Tactical Auxiliary Ground Station. Flown by Naval and contractor pilots, the asset is controlled from Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Md. Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator (BAMS-D) successfully completed its first Naval split-site deployment in support of Trident Warrior ‘08 and RIMPAC exercises. An aircraft, shelter and personnel were located in Pt. Mugu, Calif., while mission command, control and execution remained at Patuxent River, Md. BAMS-D supported real-world operations under U.S. Northern Command, providing reconnaissance of wildfires in the rugged coastal mountains of California. Later tasking placed BAMS-D along the U.S. Gulf Coast to assess the damage left by Hurricane Ike. Despite challenging weather conditions remaining after the storm, BAMS-D sensor imagery aided first responders in Louisiana and Texas to most efficiently deploy their resources in the massive relief effort.