Northrop Grumman has commenced construction of the fuselage of the first MQ-4C Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) version of the Global Hawk UAS at its Moss Point, Mississippi facility.
The fuselage will be delivered to Northrop Grumman’s final assembly line at Palmdale in California early next year where it will be mated to the wings, engine and empennage. First flight is due in late 2011, with IOC with the US Navy currently scheduled for 2015.