The Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) second MQ-4C Triton arrived at Naval Air Station Patuxent River on 29 August, following a flight from Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale, California facility.
At NAS Patuxent River, the aircraft, A57-002, will be tested by US Navy (USN) Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 20 (VX-20), to allow for certification. While at Patuxent River, USN Naval Air Systems Command will also outfit it with some remaining equipment.
Australia’s first MQ-4C Triton, A57-001, arrived at NAS Patuxent River in February 2024 and flew to Australia in June 2024, approximately four months after arriving at NAS Patuxent River. It was formally handed over to the Australian Government in late July 2024 at RAAF Tindal.
“The first of the flights of this will occur within the next couple of months, as we begin all the operational testing and work that needs to be done over the course of the next year and more to give rise to the operational capability,” the Minister for Defence Richard Marles said on 31 July.
Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the Triton capability, defined as being able to maintain one orbit at an appropriate level of effort for initial operations, is not expected to be achieved until at least mid-2025 according to the Australian National Audit Office