An MQ-4C Triton comes in for a landing at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, in July 2024. The Navy recently awarded a $267 million contract to Northrop Grumman for two Tritons, part of the service's plan to acquire 27 of the drones. (Alex Delgado/U. S. Navy)
NAPLES, Italy — The Navy signed a $267 million deal to acquire two more Triton drones as it moves toward purchasing dozens of the long-range surveillance aircraft.
The project awarded to Northrop Grumman last week includes an operating base and logistics package for the drones, according to a Pentagon statement.
The MQ-4C Triton is designed to work with P-8 Poseidon patrol planes by aiding their intelligence gathering and supporting search and rescue operations. The Triton also can serve as a communications relay.
In March 2024, the Navy’s unmanned patrol squadron, VUP-19, celebrated the deployment of a detachment and opening of a Triton hangar at Naval Air Station Sigonella on the Italian island of Sicily.
There also is a detachment in Guam, with plans for at least one more in a yet-to-be announced location, potentially at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington state or a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
VUP-19 is homeported at Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Air Station Mayport in Florida.
Spare parts for Australia, which received its first Triton drone in July, also are included in the new contract, according to the statement.
As of September 2023, the Navy had five Tritons, which reached initial operating capacity that same month. The achievement cleared the way for the drone to ease into operations in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
In its 2024 budget, the service reduced the number of Tritons it planned to purchase from 70 to 27 because of a reassessment by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, according to budget documents. The Pentagon council assesses joint military strength and identifies any gaps in capability.
The Triton can fly for more than 24 hours at altitudes above 50,000 feet with a range of 7,400 miles. It has flown more than 5,000 operational hours, according to Northrop Grumman.
The Triton’s crew consists of five members per ground station: a pilot, a tactical coordinator, two mission payload operators and a foreign signals intelligence coordinator, according to the Navy.
The drone recently demonstrated its ability to carry out missions in the Arctic, flying within 100 miles of the North Pole in September, the defense contractor said in a statement the same month.
“Arctic regions are an increasingly important theater of operations,” Capt. Josh Guerre, the Triton program manager, said in the September statement.
