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A high-flying drone equipped with surveillance sensors and a wingspan longer than that of a Boeing 737 will be the newest way for the U.S. Navy to monitor the seas.
The first operational MQ-4C Triton drone will be delivered by Northrop Grumman Corp. to the Navy within the next week at Point Mugu Naval Air Station near Oxnard, with a second drone to follow by the end of the year. The two drones will undergo testing at Point Mugu before being deployed to Guam next year.
The program has strong California roots — engineering and design is done in Rancho Bernardo, and the drone is assembled in Palmdale. During low-rate initial production, that line will churn out three Tritons a year.
Eventually, the Navy will have 68 of the drones, a lucrative production cycle that analysts said will help defense giant Northrop Grumman maintain its knowledge of high-altitude, long-endurance drones and keep its Palmdale production line up and running.
Bloomberg reported that the Pentagon had flagged manufacturing flaws in Triton’s wings as early as 2013. Shaffer said the company worked with subcontractor Triumph Aerostructures, which builds the wing in Texas, to fix that issue.
Analysts said Triton’s maritime focus gives it strong export potential, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. Already, Australia has indicated its interest in purchasing at least six aircraft, Shaffer said.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-triton-delivery-20171031-story.html
