Northrop Grumman has publicly unveiled the first MQ-4C, the version of the RQ-4 Global Hawk developed for the US Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) program, with the US Navy announcing the UAV has been named Triton.
The first MQ-4C was revealed at a ceremony at Palmdale, California on June 14, just days after an RQ-4A Block 10 Global Hawk being used for the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance-Demonstration (BAMS-D) program crashed in Maryland on June 11.
The Triton name is in keeping with the US Navy’s tradition of naming maritime surveillance aircraft after Greek sea gods, with Triton the Greek messenger of the sea.
The MQ-4C is seen as a strong contender for the ADF’s Air 7000 Phase 1B Multi-mission Unmanned Aerial System requirement to complement in the P-8 Poseidon in replacing the RAAF’s AP-3C Orions.
