Northrup Grumman’s Triton unmanned aircraft system approved for production, deployment phase

Northrup Grumman said its MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system for the U.S. Navy has been granted positive Milestone C low-rate initial production approval after testing and a review by the Milestone Decision Authority.
The authority’s decision means that the project can now move into the production and deployment phase of the U.S. Defense Department acquisition process and ends the development and design review phases.
“Triton’s critical technology is mature, and the system development and design review phases have been successful,” Northrop Grumman Triton Programs Vice President Doug Shaffer said. “Completion of the full system operational assessment testing exercised in various real-world scenarios validated the system’s ability to protect the Navy’s fleet from evolving threats. We are extremely pleased with the maritime domain awareness products and results coming from Triton.”
The testing was conducted by naval personnel, including the Air Test and Evaluation Squadrons VX-1 and VX-20 and Unmanned Patrol Squadron VUP-19, as well as Northrup Grumman. Tests included analyzing and validating the imagery and performance of the system’s sensors operated at various altitudes and ranges. The system was also evaluated on its ability to classify targets and ranges, its flight duration and its ability to transfer full motion video to another aircraft.