The Department of Defense announced that the U.S. Navy has placed an order for two additional MQ-4C Triton surveillance drones from Northrop Grumman.

The $267 million contract includes the drones and a related logistics package.

This procurement is part of a broader program to acquire 27 MQ-4C Tritons for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, working in tandem with P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft for maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare.

According to the Navy’s procurement plan, the program is set to be completed by 2028, when the final drone is scheduled for delivery. The full MQ-4C Triton fleet is expected to reach full operational capability at that time.

The Navy ultimately plans to purchase a total of 68 MQ-4C Tritons.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Royal Australian Air Force received the first MQ-4C patrol drone from Northrop Grumman.

MQ-4C Triton for the US Navy

In 2008, Northrop Grumman secured a $1.16 billion contract to develop and produce the MQ-4C Triton. The prototype first flew on May 22, 2013, with testing conducted at Edwards Air Force Base in California and Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland.

Initial operational capability (IOC) was initially targeted for December 2015 but was delayed due to technical challenges.
The first production MQ-4C Triton was delivered to the U.S. Navy on November 11, 2017. In May 2017, the Navy ordered three additional drones along with ground equipment in a $303.9 million contract.

The Triton program achieved IOC in 2023, allowing the Navy to deploy five UAVs for continuous 24/7 patrols in key regions of the Indo-Pacific.

Read more: Global Hawk Strategic Drone – Part 2: The Triton

In September 2023, Northrop Grumman confirmed that the MQ-4C Triton had been deemed fully operational, with its deployment in the Indo-Pacific proving critical for maritime reconnaissance.

Based on the RQ-4 Global Hawk platform, the MQ-4C Triton is designed for maritime operations.

It is powered by a Rolls-Royce AE 3007 turbojet engine, has a maximum speed of 575 km/h, a flight ceiling of 17 km, and an endurance of over 30 hours.

The drone’s AN/ZPY-3 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar provides 360-degree coverage, scanning up to 5,200 km² per cycle and enabling a single Triton to survey up to 7 million km² daily.