Australia to buy additional MQ-4C Triton
NewsSeptember 21, 2023
CANBERRA, Australia. Northrop Grumman will produce one more MQ-4C Triton multi-intelligence uncrewed aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), bringing the total Australian fleet size to four, according to a company statement.
Northrop Grumman Australia will also handle in-country maintenance for the Triton fleet at two RAAF locations: Edinburgh in South Australia and Tindal in the Northern Territory.
The additional aircraft aims to bolster the RAAF's Triton fleet and Australia's maritime surveillance capabilities, with the Triton monitoring sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific region, serving not only as sensors but also as communication platforms to facilitate data transfer, the statement reads.
The first MQ-4C's inaugural flight is expected to take place later this year at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale Aircraft Integration Center in California ahead of the aircraft's delivery to Australia in 2024, the company says.
