Northrop Grumman Corporation delivered the fourth multi-intelligence MQ-4C Triton to the U.S. Navy ahead of initial operational capability (IOC) this year. The Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton is an American high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) under development for the United States Navy as a surveillance aircraft. The delivery completes the set of aircraft for Unmanned Patrol Squadron (VUP) 19’s establishment of the first operational unit, while a second unit is preparing for delivery this summer. With three orbit locations and a planned orbit for delivery this summer, the Triton multi-intelligence uncovered reconnaissance will provide 24/7 unprece-dented maritime awareness.
Triton builds on elements of the RQ-4 Global Hawk; changes include reinforcements to the airframe and wing, changes to the ailerons, de-icing systems, and lightning protection systems. These capabilities allow the aircraft to descend through cloud layers to gain a closer view of ships and other targets at sea when needed. The sensor suite allows for tracking of maritime and land-based targets and classification of information on their speed, location, and classification. The system is intended to provide real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) over vast ocean and coastal regions, complementing the Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
The MQ-4C can remain aloft more than 30 hours at 55,000 feet (17,000 m) at speeds up to 330 knots (380 mph; 610 km/h). Its surveillance sensor is the AN/ZPY-3 Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS) X-band AESA radar with a 360-degree field-of-regard, capable of surveying 2,700,000 square miles (7,000,000 km2) of sea in a 24-hour period, or 2,000 square miles (5,200 km2) in a single sweep. Using the radar in inverse synthetic aperture mode, the MFAS can identify a target in all weather conditions. The Triton is semi-autonomous to conserve manpower, so operators only need to choose an operational area for the aircraft and objectives rather than controlling it throughout the mission.
The U.S. Navy’s fiscal 2017 budget request included 19 MQ-4 Tritons through fiscal 2021, with the first deployment to the Pacific in fiscal 2017. The tests evaluated the MQ-4C’s key sensors β an active electronically scanned array radar, an electro-optical/infrared camera, and a high-definition recorder. On 12 December 2019, the U.S. Navy stated that one of its RQ-4A Global Hawk aircraft had been damaged during a takeoff in the Middle East in November 2019. The craft, which cost $123 million in 2015, was estimated by USNI to be valued at $180 million by 2019. On 26 January 2020, VUP-19 deployed the MQ-4C for the first time, with two aircraft sent to Andersen AFB in Guam.
