Triton UAS photo: Northrop Grumman US Navy and Northrop Grumman completed the intial flight test phase of Northrop MQ-4C Triton UAS a...
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| Triton UAS photo: Northrop Grumman |
The flight testing, called Initial Envelope Expansion, measured Triton's performance under a variety of speeds and altitudes. The phase was completed in 13 of the 14 scheduled test flights.
During IEE, the MQ-4C flew a total of 81 hours, reached a maximum altitude of 59,950 feet and executed 568 data points.
Triton will supplement the manned Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, covering more than 2.7 million square miles in a single mission. It can perform 24/7 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance(ISR) missions with a range of 2,000 nautical miles.
Triton is the naval variant of US Air Force Global Hawk UAS with reinforced airframe and wing, along with de-icing and lightning protection systems, allowing the aircraft to descend through cloud layers to gain a closer view of ships and other targets at sea when needed.
Built for the U.S. Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) program, Triton will support a wide range of intelligence-gathering and reconnaissance missions, maritime patrol and search and rescue. US Navy plans to acquire 68 of these aircrafts.
