Australia expects delivery of Tritons in 2025

Australia's third Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton (AUS 3) conducts its first flight from the company's Palmdale, California, facility on 29 October 2024. (Northrop Grumman)

Australia expects to receive its second and third Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) in 2025, an Australian Department of Defence (DoD) spokesperson has told Janes .

“The second and third Australian MQ-4C aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to Australia later this year, following testing and calibration at Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, Maryland,” the DoD spokesperson said on 21 February.

According to Northrop Grumman, it was preparing to ferry Australia's third Triton (known as AUS 3) to Patuxent River for testing in early February. AUS 3 conducted its first flight in October 2024 from the company's Palmdale, California, facility.

At Patuxent River, AUS 3 will join AUS 2 (Australia's second Triton), which is already undergoing testing. Brad Champion, Triton Enterprise programme director, Northrop Grumman, told Janes on 21 February that AUS 2 “arrived at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, on 29 August 2024”.

While Champion also confirmed that both AUS 2 and AUS 3 would be delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) later this year, he deferred the matter of the exact delivery timeline to the US Navy.

At Patuxent River, the Tritons are subject to “robust flight-testing and validation” of the RPASs, according to Northrop Grumman, which described the tests as “key milestones” ahead of the delivery of the aircraft. A variety of testing is conducted at the facility, including anti-ice trials, electromagnetic compatibility, mission systems validation, and acceptance testing, according to US Naval Air Systems Command.