Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Drone (BAMS) - new variant of the Global Hawk

Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Drone (BAMS) is a new variant of the Global Hawk built by the United States Navy (US Navy).

United States looks increasingly intensive sharpen its security interests in Asia Pacific. Finally, came the news of Washington interested in establishing a base reconnaissance aircraft at an island in Australia's remote west Indian Ocean and, incidentally, the area is also close to the area south of Indonesia.

According to The Washington Post, the area in question is the Cocos Islands. The area is 3,000 km to the west of mainland Australia and the south island of Sumatra, Indonesia.

Australia claimed not to take seriously the U.S. interest. However, the analysts caution that plan, when be passed, could increasingly riled China, which began to feel "under siege" The United States and its allies in Asia. The new base also could have made the nation uneasy about, for example Indonesia, who felt it would be scouted regularly by U.S. aircraft.

Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith also revealed that the discourse has emerged to make Australia's Cocos Islands as a U.S. military base. However, he said Australia was not ready to follow up on that idea seriously. It was also not included in the plan prepared Canberra to strengthen military ties with the U.S. in the near future.

"We see a potential Cocos strategic location in the long run. However, it is still a discourse," Smith told reporters on Wednesday, March 28, 2012, in Canberra, as reported by Reuters.

Smith stressed the U.S. military presence in the Asia Pacific region is useful to establish peace, stability, and prosperity. That is why Australia last year to allow the U.S. plans to add strength in the marines gradually in Darwin - southeast Indonesia - about 2,500 personnel from this year.

The plan was first blown by The Washington Post. American newspaper revealed the Pentagon (U.S. Defense Department) interested in the Cocos Islands.

For citizens of Australia, a small group of islands is popularly called Keeling interesting places for sightseeing. The island's white sandy beaches and full of coconut trees (Cocos Island View image here). For the Pentagon, the islands fit into their new base reconnaissance aircraft for the Western Pacific region, which reached Southeast Asia, East Asia and Australia.

Location of the coral island group located in the western Indian Ocean, located about 3,000 km or Australia, and not far from Christmas Island. Cocos Islands is located in the backyard of Indonesia, or only about 1,000 km southwest of the island of Java, and the southern part of Sumatra Island.

The Washington Post quoted an anonymous source in the U.S. and Australian officials, said the Cocos Islands is not only ideal for conventional unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, but also for the Global Hawks. This nirawak advanced reconnaissance aircraft capable of flying the U.S. owned high.

Even the U.S. Navy is building a new variant of the Global Hawk, which was named Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Drone or BAMS. The aircraft is targeted to operate in 2015.

There has been no official comment from the Pentagon and U.S. officials responded to the news.

However, Australian Defence Minister, Stephen Smith, has revealed the emergence of the discourse to make Australia's Cocos Islands as a U.S. military base. Australia itself is still not being related to U.S. wants it. Government in Canberra seems to try to be careful.

Smith, for example, says Australia has not been willing to follow up on that idea seriously. It was also not included in the Canberra plan to strengthen military ties with the U.S. in the near future.

Smith said that despite all this time to facilitate the placement and received a visit U.S. troops in the region, Australia will not allow the U.S. to run its own military facilities without the permission of the host.

Thus, according to Smith, the Cocos Islands are not included in the priority the strengthening of the cooperation of Australia and the U.S.. Priority of the current U.S. and Australia, Smith continued, is to prepare the addition of 2500 U.S. Marines in the city of Darwin in stages starting this year. Smith stressed the U.S. military presence in the Asia Pacific useful "to restore peace, stability, and prosperity."

The U.S. has been argued that the intensification of their security interests in Asia recently linked with efforts to stem the Chinese maneuvers, the more aggressively to strengthen its military. However, the analysts believe that Washington is wary of the development of China.

"This is all, of course, about China," said Professor Hugh White, an observer from the Australian National University in Canberra, told The Daily Telegraph.

"Australia was in a difficult position. We all do not want Asia dominated by China, but we did not want to experience the rift with China," said White.

According to The Washington Post, U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) are interested in using the Cocos Islands as a new base for the fleet of surveillance aircraft to fly them to monitor the situation in the South China Sea. Conflict in the region is strategically located for trade routes and rich in natural resources.

Some countries, like China, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, and Taiwan have been arguing maritime boundary claims in the South China Sea. Especially in recent months has appeared "little impact" involving ships from several countries concerned.

Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Drone (BAMS) - new variant of the Global Hawk 2012-03-30T11:02:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 By: Admin