NAVAIR orders Triton production support
An MQ-4C Triton taxis at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. (Photo: USAF/Senior Airman Michael Murphy)
Northrop Grumman will provide test, inspection and engineering support for MQ-4Cs in production for the US and Australia.
Northrop Grumman is providing non-destructive test and inspection support equipment — and ‘associated non-recurring engineering’ — for production of MQ-4C Triton HALE UAVs for the USN and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the DoD announced on 22 September.
Work on the $15.83 million order from Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) is due for completion in September 2024.
The US has ordered 65 Tritons while Australia has ordered three, according to Shephard Defence Insight.
FY2022 budget documents show that the US DoD has requested a one-year production gap for Triton in FY2022 to support development of the Multi-INT configuration, with recommencement in FY2023.
The first aircraft for the RAAF is expected to arrive in 2023, however, the service will not be ready to receive it in Australia until 2024.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
MQ-4C Triton (Contracted) [Australia]
MQ-4 Triton (Announced/Contracted) [USA]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![India readies private sector push as AMCA moves towards 2028 prototype]()
India readies private sector push as AMCA moves towards 2028 prototype
India’s stealth fighter ambitions gain fresh momentum as HAL opens the door to private sector involvement in AMCA Mk1A structural assembly, with strategic support growing for next-gen propulsion and sensor technologies.
-
![BAE Systems reveals new GCAP demonstrator design with plans to fly by 2027]()
BAE Systems reveals new GCAP demonstrator design with plans to fly by 2027
A key part in the trinational Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), this is the first crewed supersonic aircraft demonstrator to be built and developed in the UK in more than 40 years.
-
![Anduril’s Barracuda-100M completes latest successful test flights]()
Anduril’s Barracuda-100M completes latest successful test flights
The munitions variant of the Barrauda-100 autonomous air vehicle is being tested for the US Army’s High-Speed Manoeuvrable Missile (HSMM) testbed programme, with further flight tests expected in 2026.
