Eyes in the sky: In a presentation Wednesday that no doubt left aerospace defense contractors salivating at potential cost overruns, the Navy gave details on what will likely be a multibillion dollar unmanned air reconnaissance system contract. The system, called the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance system or BAMS, would require a fleet of sophisticated flying drones, high-technology sensors and communications systems, and a slew of ground control and data-receiving stations.
The Navy program requires a large unmanned aircraft capable of flying 2,000 nautical miles each way. It must remain at its destination for at least 24 hours while surveying large areas of open ocean or coastal areas with state-of-the-art sensors that relay intelligence to both land-based command posts half a world away and to Navy task forces operating nearby, Massenburg and the other officials explained. BAMS also might fill in as a communications relay asset, they said.
The Navy aviation officials said final requirements are expected to be approved this summer, with a request for proposal following by January and a contract awarded by September 2007.
The first of the aircraft and sensors are to be ready for testing in 2011. The system should be ready for use in 2013.
Although none of the briefers would estimate the number of aircraft required or the potential cost of the contract, the specifications call for enough systems to cover five major areas of the world on a 24-hour basis.
That clearly would require dozens of aircraft and associated systems that might cost more than $50 million each.
And the officials stressed that the program has attracted interest from at least nine foreign nations, which might increase the size of the contract.
Naval officers told the 200 contractors that the system has a high level of congressional support. That translates into fat defense contracts that can be taken back to congressional home districts. That translates into pork-barrel politics, which translates into continued build-up of the military-industrial complex and Big Annual Military Spending. BAMS, indeed!
I can see Emeril Lagasse as the spokesman. BAM!