Test links unmanned sea sentry to ground

WASHINGTON, June 19 (UPI) -- Early flight-testing of a U.S. maritime surveillance system passed a milestone with the link-up of the test bed aircraft to a receiver on the ground.

The first phase of the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance risk reduction program was completed recently with the transfer of data from the air to the ground station located in Maryland using an Internet Protocol-based wireless network.

BAMS is being created to provide extended monitoring of wide areas of ocean by unmanned aerial vehicles that will feed radar imagery and other data to ground facilities manned by the U.S. Navy. The wide-area coverage will assist Navy task forces operating in littoral areas in the monitoring of potential threats and overall situational awareness.

As part of the effort to lower the risk involved in the design, Northrop Grumman has begun flight-testing the proposed payload using a Gulfstream jet and transmitting real-time data on ship traffic from the Pacific to a prototype mission control station in Hollywood, Md.

The payload, known as the Advanced Mission Management System, transmits on the L and UHF bands and is based on an open architecture that Northrop said Tuesday enables the Navy to quickly modify or update the payload at a minimal cost.

The next round of flight tests will take place in July and August. The goal will be to further polish the system's radar and bandwidth management equipment.