US Navy, Air Force sign Global Hawk-based programmes agreement

US Navy and Air Force Global Hawk-based UAS programme officials have agreed to streamline their joint acquisition processes.

The Memorandum of Agreement strengthens the services' efforts to leverage development, production, sustainment and upgrade efforts for the RQ-4-based programmes managed by the Air Force's 303rd Aeronautical Systems Group (303 AESG) Global Hawk programme and the Navy's Persistent Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems Programme Office (PMA-262) which manages the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System RQ-4N program

"This agreement allows the Navy and Air Force to continue pursuing common objectives across the RQ-4 Enterprise while retaining each Service's unique missions and operational requirements," said Navy Capt. Bob Dishman, programme manager for PMA-262 here.

"The Air Force and Navy have a synergistic relationship between their respective programmes which employ the RQ-4," said Steve Amburgey, programme manager for the Air Force Global Hawk program. "We believe this MOA promotes cost savings, eliminates redundancies and gives US taxpayers the best procurement value.

"It paves the way for us to share a wide range of data and other information that will help us ensure programme effectiveness and help contractors succeed at enhanced quality and on-time delivery," Amburgey added.

The Navy and Air Force programme have an established collaborative relationship formed during execution of the Navy's Global Hawk Maritime Demonstration, according to programme officials. The Services have flown joint missions, shared parts and other equipment and, through another formal agreement, conducted testing for Global Hawk Block 10 aircraft.

"We have proven success in leveraging efficiencies with the Block 10 systems," Dishman said. "Now, with the establishment of the RQ-4 as the basis for the BAMS UAS program, we look to further advance these synergies to deliver unprecedented capability to the warfighter."

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