Australia’s first MQ-4C Triton

Defence has unveiled Australia’s first MQ-4C Triton Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), ‘AUS 1’, the first of four to be operated by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The RPAS actually arrived in Australia in June.

Revealed at RAAF Base Tindal, the MQ-4C Triton is a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) aircraft that will provide persistent surveillance and targeting across Australia’s maritime approaches. The aircraft will form a family of systems with the RAAF’s crewed P-8A Poseidon fleet to undertake enhanced Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and build and maintain situational awareness in support of Defence operations.

“We must continue to enhance our operations from Australia’s northern bases, and the MQ-4C Triton is a tangible example of a capability that will assist us in achieving this task,” said Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles MP.

The Triton arrived nearly 25 years after the first very similar RQ-4B Global Hawk, which flew a record-breaking 14,000km direct from California to RAAF Base Edinburgh, near Adelaide, in 2001 on an official visit. In subsequent years Global Hawks are known to have undertaken several surveillance missions from Edinburgh as part of the global war against terror.

The four MQ-4C Triton aircraft will be based at RAAF Base Tindal, Northern Territory, and operated by the RAAF’s 9 Squadron, located at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia.

When it arrived at Tindal, the RAAF’s first Triton was immediately put in a hangar for environmental protection, especially of its electronic sensors, and for concealment. It is believed the secrecy surrounding the Triton is meant to generate uncertainty over whether the aircraft is actually airborne or not and which patrol areas it is covering.

The MQ-4C Triton was developed for both the US Navy, as part of its Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) program, and the RAAF and will be a key part of Australia’s future Defence Targeting Enterprise.

From an altitude of 55,000ft, the RPAS will be able to surveil up to four million square nautical miles of sea or coastline in a 24-hour sortie, says Northrop Grumman. A force of three aircraft can maintain a permanent watch over a specific sea area. It is designed to conduct surveillance using radar and infrared sensors, intelligence-gathering through its Electronic Warfare system and provide targeting information to ADF long range missiles.

“As a complement to our existing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, the MQ-4C Triton will significantly enhance our ability to persistently patrol Australia’s north and broader maritime approaches,” said the new Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Stephen Chappell DSC, CSC, OAM. “The MQ-4C Triton will deliver unprecedented persistence and awareness over the maritime domain in support of the integrated, focused force.

“Uncrewed aerial systems offer enormous potential to capitalise on the opportunities provided by modern payloads and increased endurance.”

The MQ-4C Triton project represents a $900 million investment in Australian industry for facilities construction, network integration, engineering, logistics, component manufacture and sustainment services.

As part of this investment, Defence has signed an interim sustainment support contract valued at approximately $220 million with Northrop Grumman Australia.