Boeing has revealed a surprise and innovative entry for the U.S. Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) competition. While two rival bids use High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Boeing is adapting the Gulfstream G550 business jet to fly the mission manned or unmanned. In a further surprise, Raytheon has joined Boeing’s bid to offer an active-array maritime surveillance radar that will use software modes from the proven APS-137 and its derivative, due to fly on the Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
“This is a unique solution that will really open your eyes,” said Tony Parasida, vice president for ASW and ISR programs at Boeing. “We are leveraging much of the mission software from the P-8, and the flight control software from our work on unmanned combat air vehicles for the U.S. Air Force.” Boeing is developing the P-8 from the Boeing 737-800 airliner, as a replacement for the U.S. Navy’s long-serving P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft. The critical design review for the P-8 program is next week, Parasida revealed, and the first aircraft should be delivered in mid to late 2009.
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