Matthew Nelson
Australia has authorized additional funds to purchase another MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system built by Northrop Grumman through a cooperative development agreement between the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force.
The additional UAS procurement brings the foreign country's commitment to buy three of planned six vehicles and ground mission control equipment, Northrop said Friday.
Doug Shaffer, vice president of Triton programs at Northrop, said the platform will support the Australian military's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
The Australian government also pledged to provide funds for the establishment of an MQ-4C main operating base in South Australia and a forward operating base in the Northern Territory.
According to Northrop, the MOB will be built at RAAF Edinburgh while the FOB will be set up at RAAF Tindal.
The MQ-4C UAS is designed to fly over 2M square miles of ocean and littoral zones at an altitude of more than 50K feet.
Northrop said the Navy plans to deploy five Triton orbits worldwide and Australia has the potential to provide a sixth as a key U.S. ally and strategic partner in the Pacific region.
