http://www.janes.com/news/defence/systems/jni/jni080813_1_n.shtml
The US Navy (USN) is to proceed with its Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System (BAMS UAS) programme following a decision by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) to deny a contract award protest, it was announced on 11 August.
On 8 August the GAO rejected Lockheed Martin's bid to overturn the awarding of a USD1.16 billion System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract to Northrop Grumman for its RQ-4N Global Hawk High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
Lockheed Martin protested the USN's decision to choose the RQ-4N UAV to fulfil its BAMS requirement on the basis that it felt its Mariner UAV - in partnership with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems - "offered a technically compliant and awardable solution at significantly lower cost [than the Northrop Grumman bid]", and requested a GAO overview of the decision-making process.
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