In December 2013 the first squadron of P-8A Poseidon aircraft will deploy to the Pacific—not only reaffirming the Navy's commitment to antisubmarine warfare (ASW), but also marking an important milestone in the U.S. maritime strategy. One of the key tenets of this strategy combines mutually supportive elements into a sum greater than its parts: the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force Family of Systems. It consists of the P-3C Orion, the P-8A Poseidon, the EP-3 Aries, the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and associated tactical operations centers. The Family of Systems concept is a first for naval aviation and may prove to be the blueprint for weapon-system acquisitions and delivery to the Fleet. This model for managing and resourcing various weapons and support systems reduces total ownership cost while coordinating capabilities and capacity without being redundant.
An unintended benefit of the Family of Systems model is how new and emerging technologies can be shepherded under the guidance and support of an established community. While the multi-intelligence capabilities of the EP-3 Aries are a viable and essential part of the Family of Systems, the EP-3 and P-3C communities have been working in concert for decades. The addition of UAVs to the family challenges the status quo and has proved to be both a force multiplier and effective example for future system acquisitions.
The BAMS UAV is one of many unmanned vehicles currently going through the Department of Defense (DOD) acquisition process. The vision is for BAMS to serve as an adjunct to the P-8A Poseidon, operating within the patrol-and-reconnaissance structure to leverage logistics and manpower, as well as augmenting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) expertise. The question is, "How does something that looks like a Global Hawk belong in the sub-hunter community?" The answer can be found in the evolutionary nature of the maritime-patrol community and what led to the Family of Systems.
The P-3C Orion and 9/11
To understand where BAMS fits in with the maritime force, it is important to consider the evolution of the P-3C Orion's mission. The aircraft has been operating in the maritime environment for more than 40 years. Initially designed as an ASW platform, it has slowly broadened its mission to include antisurface warfare (ASUW) as well as armed ISR in support of conflicts and campaigns around the globe. The P-3C has grown from an ASW platform with operators analyzing "papergrams" on a teletype to an aircraft with the capability to conduct multi-static ASW operations over hundreds of miles. The current configuration of the P-3C can carry torpedoes, bombs, mines, Harpoons, Maverick missiles, and the Stand-off Land Attack Missile (SLAM).
With the incorporation of the Antisurface Warfare Improvement Program in the late 1990s, the P-3C became a viable maritime ISR asset. Configured with updated electro-optic and infrared cameras and an updated multimode radar, the P-3C currently flies nearly as many ISR missions as all other missions combined. In addition, the aircraft's connectivity upgrades extend communication ranges and allow real-time image and video transfer through the Tactical Common Data Link.
The P-3C's mission continued to expand following the attacks on 9/11. The search for al Qaeda in Afghanistan left ground commanders with a warfighting capability gap. They needed more airborne ISR assets that could provide real-time imagery support to the troops on the ground. These assets needed to operate at a high enough altitude to be out of the surface-to-air range, but also be able to be retasked at a moment's notice. Just as NATO commanders had found in the Balkans, CENTCOM commanders agreed that the P-3C was well-equipped to fill an overland ISR need.
Since 9/11, the P-3C has flown thousands of hours overland in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. The maritime patrol community has adjusted training and created concepts of operation to help better fit the warfighter's needs. What began as a low-flying ASW aircraft has evolved into a multi-mission platform as likely to fly over the sands of Iraq as over the waters of the Pacific.
The New Capability Gap
Even before Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, the P-3C Fleet was nearing the end of its service life. The loss of its airborne ASW capability and a growing Chinese submarine fleet (as well as the increased sub-surface threat from other developing nations) has taken the maritime patrol community full circle. ASW is at the core of protecting the carrier strike group and ensuring access to denied maritime domains. The replacement for the P-3C needs to be a multi-mission aircraft with the core mission of ASW.
The concern for naval aviation was that one platform could not maintain a high level of proficiency in ASW while executing thousands of hours flying ISR missions. The resultant solution was not to accept a capability gap in either ASW or ISR, but rather to use multiple platforms to meet the missions. Hence, the Family of Systems concept was born.
The P-3C Orion and EP-3 Aries had been the core of the patrol-and-reconnaissance community for years. The unity of the two platforms had created manpower savings and consolidated logistic and maintenance-support requirements, saving the Navy money and streamlining operations. The new Family of Systems concept was simple: Add to the existing community by procuring a replacement for the P-3C designed to focus primarily on ASW, and develop an unmanned vehicle to execute a portion of the ISR mission. Then, ensure a command-and-control and tactical-support structure able to support all Family of Systems platforms. In this manner, the family grew to include the BAMS UAV and the tactical operations centers.
Technology and Paradigms
So why not just create a maritime ISR community and free up the maritime patrol-and-recon community to focus on ASW and ASUW? The creation of a new maritime community would require a specific demand for a capability that is not being fielded. If there is no clear demand, the acquisitions-and-requirements process struggles to fund and field a system. Being fiscally responsible, the Department of the Navy must adhere to an overarching approach to warfare and field systems that help commanders execute strategy. Several weapon systems have been canceled because they became too expensive and did not meet a warfighting need.
Another hurdle with new technology is that it may challenge the warfighter's operational paradigm. Like a new cell phone or remote control, the user may want to stick with the tried-and-true until he gets a full understanding of how to operate the new device. Without argument, many technological advances are completely necessary and greeted with open arms. State-of-the-art body armor and armored vehicles are examples of technology meeting a critical warfighting gap. The challenge is more with advances that enhance an existing capability. Such innovations are more likely to fit an operational commander's needs if they are fielded and managed inside of an established system.
The success and resulting implications of the Family of Systems are that the P-8A Poseidon, the BAMS UAV, and the tactical operating centers increase capacity and efficacy within an already functioning system. To continue the analogy, it is the same cell phone—with greatly increased performance.
Genesis Matters
The Fleet drives requirements. One could argue that the man/train/equip role of the Pentagon is intended as a response to the Fleet, not as direction to the Fleet. The P-3C began flying extensive overland ISR missions as a result of the Fleet and combatant commander requirement. The same sort of mission growth has applied to our special forces, carrier strike groups, and even Seabees; their missions likewise expanded as a result of Fleet demand.
The unmanned aerial vehicle is a direct response to a Fleet-driven requirement. As planned, the BAMS UAV will execute approximately 30 percent of all maritime ISR missions, much of which is currently executed by the P-3C. The BAMS UAV is being designed to meet and then exceed the combatant command and Fleet requirements. It will be able to operate at higher altitudes in a more covert posture than the P-3C and will have more advanced sensors with a greater dwell time. Command-and-control and logistics support will mirror the legacy P-3C, but the performance will be a significant upgrade.
The P-8A Poseidon is being designed to respond to Fleet demand with mission growth in mind as well. The P-8A is the airborne ASW game-changer. Equipped with state-of-the-art acoustic and non-acoustic ASW processing capability, the P-8A has been designed to meet the maritime threats of today and tomorrow. The open-architecture design of the Poseidon will allow the aircraft to be easily modified to execute a variety of missions. This allows the acquisitions team to work with industry to quickly meet new mission requirements. Whether responding to a combatant commander's urgent operational need or adjusting engineering change proposals as a result of Fleet input, the P-8A and the entire Family of Systems will be ready to respond.
Let the Fleet be your Guide
To help ensure the BAMS UAV's capabilities are meeting the growing ISR requirement, the Navy has procured and modified a Global Hawk to create the BAMS-D (demonstrator). Over the past two years, the BAMS-D has been flying ISR missions in multiple areas of responsibility. The BAMS-D is being used to validate and verify what the airframe can do, but also to see how it can be modified to better meet the combatant commanders' requirements. In a sense, BAMS-D is a sneak preview for the Fleet. With BAMS-D operations, the maritime patrol-and-recon community is able to find manpower and logistic synergies while the Fleet is able to give vital mission feedback.
The Fleet will continue to guide—and perhaps grow the mission of—the Family of Systems once the operational BAMS is fielded. The result will again be an evolutionary process. Designed as a tactical ISR adjunct to the P-8A, BAMS may end up providing data of more strategic significance. Over time, the Fleet may want BAMS to collect different types of data in different orbits. The ISR requirement may drive BAMS out of the tactical arena and into the operational and strategic spheres. This evolution will happen over time and will reflect the natural maturation and implementation of a new weapons system. Smaller UAVs may be incorporated into the Family of Systems to assist in tactical ISR. What is most relevant, though, is that the Fleet is driving the requirements and capitalizing on technological advances with the P-8A and BAMS.
The P-8A Poseidon is the most lethal and technologically advanced maritime patrol aircraft in history. The BAMS UAV represents the cutting edge of aerospace technology. Combined with the EP-3 Aries and the expeditionary tactical operations centers, the Family of Systems constitutes unprecedented capabilities in ASW, ASUW, and ISR. The Family of Systems also serves as a model for the incorporation of technology and implementation of expanded capabilities to the Fleet.