Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton
The Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton is an American high-altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed for and flown by the United States Navy and Royal Australian Air Force as a surveillance aircraft.[31] On 16 February 2014, it was reported that the Australian government would seek the purchase of seven Tritons; in addition to locating ships and aircraft, it would also be used to detect seaborne asylum seekers.[39] Northrop Grumman has also proposed the MQ-4C to India; the Indian Navy have considered the UAV in a complementary role to the twelve Boeing P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft it has on order.Norway will develop and operate maritime surveillance drones from Andøya Air Station, and the MQ-4C is rumored to be the main contender for the initial capability.[43][44] In January 2015, the German Luftwaffe began considering the Triton to fill their signals intelligence needs as a continuation of the cancelled Global Hawk-based EuroHawk program.Using the Triton would ease integration by keeping the sensors in the same place, gondolas hung under the wings, which limited attempts to put them on other airframes due to reception problems with nearby engine placement.With icing and lightning-strike protection already included, the MQ-4C would have a better chance of achieving safety certification to fly over inhabited areas of Europe that previously ended the EuroHawk.At low altitude, the Triton would use its Raytheon MTS-B multi-spectral EO/IR sensor (also used on the MQ-9 Reaper) which is equipped with additional laser designator, pointer, and range finding abilities capable of automatically tracking what the MFAS detects.[48] The Triton is equipped with a modular electronic support measures (ESM) suite, similar to the one used on the Lockheed EP-3, to passively detect and classify faint radar signals.[50] Another aspect of the MQ-4C is its ability to act as a network relay and data fusion center, able to receive and transmit messages from around a theater of operations between various sources not within line-of-sight of each other.This capability greatly increases interoperability, situational awareness, targeting efficiency, and sensor picture clarity, while providing an alternative to satellite-based communications systems.The aircraft flew a pre-approved instrument route along the southern U.S. border, crossing the Gulf of Mexico and Florida, then was directed north along the Atlantic coast and up the Chesapeake Bay, a distance of 3,290 nmi (3,790 mi; 6,090 km) at 50,000 ft (15,000 m) to avoid commercial air traffic.Operations from Patuxent River in the coming weeks will test the aircraft's sensors, communications, interoperability, and expanded envelope flight coverage.A third model is also being prepared to start flights; the third was planned to be funded by the Navy but was lost to budget cuts, so Northrop Grumman decided to self-fund production of the third prototype.In February 2016 the U.S. Navy confirmed that the MQ-4C had completed Operational Assessment, putting the Triton in line to achieve a Milestone C decision in spring 2016, leading to low rate production.[59] The tests evaluated the MQ-4C's key sensors – an active electronically scanned array radar, an electro-optic/infrared camera and a hydrocarbon detector – over different altitudes and ranges, analysing the "system's ability to classify targets and disseminate critical data", according to Northrop.
unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehiclepatrol aircraftManufacturerNorthrop GrummanUnited States NavyRoyal Australian Air ForceNorthrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawkhigh-altitude long enduranceunmanned aerial vehiclesurveillance aircraftground control stationunmanned aircraft systemBoeing P-8 PoseidonRQ-4 Global HawkInitial Operational CapabilityFull Operating Capabilityactive electronically scanned arrayBoeingGulfstream G550business jetMojave SpaceportGrumman Gulfstream IISwift EngineeringLockheed MartinGeneral AtomicsDepartment of DefenseGovernment Accountability OfficeEdwards Air Force BaseNaval Air Station Patuxent RiverP-3C OrionsHawaiiMCAS Kaneohe BayNAS JacksonvilleKadena Air BaseNAS Point MuguNAS SigonellaAir Force TimesAndersen Air Force BaseAir Marshall Geoff BrownP-8A PoseidonTony AbbottRAAF Base EdinburghNo. 9 SquadronBAE Systems Nimrod MRA4TridentStrategic Defence and Security Review 2015Andøya Air StationLuftwaffesignals intelligenceGerman NavyBr.1150 Atlantiqueelectronic intelligencecommunications intelligenceGerman Defence MinistryBombardier Global 6000X-bandinverse synthetic apertureAutomatic Identification SystemRaytheonMQ-9 Reaperlaser designatorpointerrange findingLockheed EP-3geo-locateSIGINTUnited States Air Force Plant 42Palmdale Regional AirportPalmdale, CaliforniaGulf of MexicoUnmanned Patrol Squadron Nineteen (VUP-19)U.S. 5th FleetU.S. 6th FleetU.S. 7th FleetU.S. Fleet Forces Commandlow-rate initial productionJune 2019 Gulf of Oman incident2019 Iranian shoot-down of American droneIslamic Revolutionary Guard CorpsStrait of HormuzHormozganFox NewsU.S. Central CommandUnited StatesNaval Air Station Whidbey IslandWashingtonVUP-19Naval Air Station JacksonvilleFloridaMarylandAustraliaNo. 9 Squadron RAAFRAAF EdinburghRAAF TindalRolls-Royce AE 3007turbofanAirborne ground surveillanceUnmanned combat aerial vehicleNorthrop Grumman BatGeneral Atomics MQ-9 ReaperList of active United States military aircraftWayback MachineGrummanG-215 (I)G-215 (II)G-1128G-1159Model 400-1 to -5-6 to -8F11F/F-11F11F-1FF-111BNATF-23UC-103OA-14/J4FU-16/JR2F/UFMallardAg CatKittenTadpoleGulfstream IGulfstream IIApollo Lunar ModuleEF-111Firebird