Arthur McMiler
Northrop Grumman has secured a $60.2 million modification to a previously-awarded order that called for the retrofitting of two MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial systems and one main operating base to the Integrated Functional Capability Four, multiple-intelligence configuration.
Scope of the Order Modification
The modification calls for Northrop’s delivery of non-recurring engineering services, material and tooling required for the alteration of the Navy’s Triton air vehicle B11, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.
Work will be mostly performed in Palmdale and San Diego in California, with completion expected in February 2029. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. It will obligate at the time of the award the full task order funding from the Navy’s aircraft procurement for fiscal year 2025.
NAVAIR Basic Ordering Agreement
The order affected by the modification was issued in August 2023 and was worth $83.1 million. The order was placed under a basic ordering agreement awarded by NAVAIR to Northrop in 2020. That BOA had a potential maximum value of $1.15 billion and called for support for other types of aircraft in addition to the Triton.
Triton Debut Flight
The MQ-4C Triton aircraft had its debut flight in January 2020, boosting the U.S. military’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in the Pacific region. It features a selection of autonomous maritime sensors designed to help operators monitor, trace, validate and identify ships in littoral locations and open ocean areas.
