Angeline Leishman
Northrop Grumman has delivered an MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system in multi-intelligence configuration to a U.S. Navy air base in Maryland.
The Integrated Functional Capability-4 variant, also known as B8, arrived Feb. 1 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River and is the first production unit of the MQ-4C platform with sensor technology designed for the service branch’s maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting missions, Northrop said Wednesday.
The IFC-4 system was built under a Triton low-rate initial production work by Northrop and as part of the MISR&T transition effort at the Navy.
An integrated test group composed of Navy personnel and their partners in Australia and the private sector demonstrated the new configuration in July 2021.
The team expects the drone variant to reach initial operational capability status sometime in 2023.
