The US Navy was the slowest and perhaps most reluctant of the armed services to embrace the potential of unmanned aircraft for the purpose of persistent surveillance.After a false start in 2003, the USN initiated a competitive procurement process for a Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) fleet in 2006.
The multi-billion dollar contract predictably drew wide and intense interest from industry, affording the USN's selection team an unusually wide array of options.
Read more
The Australian Government has kept fairly quiet about procurement options for Global Hawk.
ReplyDeleteJoint operating with the US between Australian bases is a possibility. This is in some respects similar to joint operating of signals stations.