The US Navy (USN) is to equip the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) with a targeting capability for third-party maritime platforms.
The US Navy is looking to enhance its newly introduced Triton UAS with a third-party targeting capability, having issued a sole-source notification for Northrop Grumman earlier in January 2021. (DVIDS)
A service spokesperson told Janes on 25 January that a sole-source notification was posted on beta.SAM.gov, the US government procurement website, some days prior, in anticipation of Northrop Grumman upgrading the navy’s Triton systems, formerly known as Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS).
“Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation is providing Triton-centric sensor-to-shooter analysis in support of Distributed Maritime Operation (DMO) concepts,” Captain Dan Mackin, USN Triton programme manager, said. “Triton is not armed. Triton’s platform and surveillance posture provide a unique sensor capability to locate and target enemy combatants and relay targeting data for prosecution.”
As noted in the solicitation posted on 19 January, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in California is to be contracted in support of the Future Capability Third-Party Targeting Analysis (FCTPTA) for Net-Enabled Weapons (NEW) used for demonstrating integrated warfighting capabilities and maintaining sea control for the MQ-4C Triton.
Vice president and programme manager for Triton programmes at Northrop Grumman, Doug Shaffer, told Janes , “While this recent contract is for development and demonstration on our Triton surrogate platform, ultimately integrating targeting software into Triton’s existing sensor and communications suite will elevate the Triton system to an even more critical role in the [US] Navy’s distributed maritime operations construct.”
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