The Australian government will provide funding to the U.S. defense manufacturer Northrop Grumman to produce an additional MQ-4C Triton multi-intelligence unmanned aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
Following the latest contract with the U.S. defense firm, Australia’s RAAF will have a total fleet size of four MQ-4C Triton aircraft.
According to the Northrop Grumman statement, the company was also selected to maintain the Triton fleet from two locations: RAAF Edinburgh, South Australia, and RAAF Tindal, Northern Territory.
Christine Zeitz, the chief executive and general manager of Northrop Grumman Australia & New Zealand said, “The addition of a fourth aircraft will enhance the resilience of the fleet and will provide superior surveillance capability to monitor and protect Australia’s maritime interests 24/7.”
Zeitz further added, “We are committed to keeping Australia safe and this sovereign surveillance capability will not only contribute to, but also significantly enhance a wide range of missions.”
The Northrop Grumman statement highlighted that “Australia is part of the Triton cooperative program and is contributing to shaping the requirements of the system. Together, U.S. and Australian defense forces will be able to share data collected by their respective Tritons, a critical ability in one of the world’s most strategically important regions.”
According to the Northrop Grumman statement, the company’s Australia branch will establish a dynamic support environment for the progressive delivery of capability systems into the country. This includes the establishment of ground stations in RAAF Edinburgh and air vehicles in RAAF Tindal.
“Northrop Grumman Australia is building a highly qualified and capable Australian workforce across both locations to leverage the extensive knowledge and experience of Northrop Grumman in supporting U.S. Navy Triton operations,” the statement added.
Australia’s Triton unmanned aircraft program is helping the country to meet its security challenges by providing maritime monitoring of the vital sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific and playing a crucial role as a communication platform facilitating the transfer of data across warfighting domains and Australia’s multiple mission needs.
