Northrop Grumman Wins US Navy Contract For 3 MQ-4C Triton Drones

Northrop Grumman has won a $255 million contract from US Navy to procure three MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft

The contract also includes one main operation control station, one forward operation control station, training courseware, and tooling. Work is expected to be completed in August 2020, the US Department of Defense announced Tuesday.

The Procurement decision is taken after the Triton program completed an operational assessment in February, the results and data from which informed the review process. Milestone C marks the end of the development phase and the beginning of production under the Pentagon’s acquisition process.

MQ-4C Triton is a maritime surveillance unmanned aircraft system. The UAS will complement the navy's Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force family of systems, delivering SIGNET (signals intelligence), C4ISR and maritime strike capabilities.

The MQ-4C is a high-altitude, long-endurance UAS, suitable for conducting continuous sustained operations over an area of interest at long ranges. It relays maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) information directly to the maritime commander.