WEBSTER FIELD, Md. -- A huge problem remains for the U.S. Navy and Air Force in positioning their unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) force so that all warfighters have at least an unmanned ISR and possibly a strike capability to call on at any time.

An area of key concern is the Pacific, where bases are few.

"We're working closely with the operational community in establishing how we're going to field and integrate BAMS [RQ-4N Broad Area Maritime Surveillance System] into the Navy and [establish a] joint operational construct with the Air Force," says Navy Capt. Bob Dishman, program manager for BAMs. "On the Navy side, the P-3 community is going to carry the BAMS capability. They'll transition from their manned [P-3] truck of the last 30-40 years into the P-8A and at the same time integrate [the BAMS] unmanned system. At the same time we'll have some joint basing and training opportunities to leverage the investment made by the Air Force in infrastructure."

At full operational capability, the Navy will operate five orbits worldwide, Dishman says. Notionally, each numbered fleet commander will have a BAMS unit to deploy. The fleets so equipped will include 2nd (East Coast), 3rd (West Coast), 6th (Mediterranean), 7th (Western Pacific) and 5th (Arabian Gulf supporting NavCent). They will be aligned with the P-8A fleet as it is introduced into two main operating bases in the U.S. and three primary deployment sites overseas.

A recent change in the Navy's concept of operation will have all the BAMS ground stations in the U.S. instead of deployed overseas at the tactical support centers, Dishman says. The ground stations will be co-located with fleet concentration areas in the U.S., including Jacksonville, Fla. (2nd and 6th Fleet orbits), Whidbey Island, Wash. (3rd, 5th and 7th Fleet orbits) and Point Mugu, Calif. Point Mugu will offer a high concentration of reservist manpower in the Los Angeles area, unused facilities and access to the Point Mugu and China Lake weapons ranges. There are P-3 reserve squadrons already there.

Two other bases being considered for joint Navy and Air Force operational hubs at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam and Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy and, possibly Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Dishman says. There also are conversation on-going about the two services consolidating training, maintenance and hangar space programs.

"BAMS [initially] will be a 3rd [West Coast] and 7th Fleet [Western Pacific] asset," says Rear Adm. Bill Shannon, program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons. "Each [fleet commander] will have access to an orbit 24/7. We'll have four air vehicles for each of them. Requirements are that they are in the air, providing an orbit with 80 percent probability."

P-8As and BAMS will only be part of the surveillance formula. Amphibious ships such as LHAs will have smaller STUAS-class (Small Tactical Unmanned Aerial System) aircraft -- which are currently in source selection. Smaller destroyers with no hangars will carry a scaled-down version called STUAS-light that is about the size of the Boeing ScanEagle.

"There is a confluence of requirements to rationalize, so there is a need to make use of existing facilities that may be underutilized [for example] having Air Force Global Hawks and Navy BAMS stationed and maintained together," says Gary Kessler, deputy program executive officer for unmanned aviation.

Photo: Northrop Grumman