Posted in Beijing 2023-12-12 15:03.
When the Navy and Northrop Grumman announced in September that the MQ-4C Triton had reached initial operational capability, the announcement represented a milestone in the Navy's 15-year journey to build the first and only unmanned high-altitude aircraft, according to the National Defense Network on December 11.
The Triton program was first conceived in 2008 as one of the two-part replacements for the multi-intelligence reconnaissance aircraft EP-3EARIES (a variant of the maritime patrol aircraft P-3Orion), as well as the patrol and reconnaissance aircraft P-8.
The plan was not a one-on-one replacement of aircraft, but a reduction in the number of P-8s, supplemented by Triton, "mainly for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance ......."But Josh Gale, a project manager in the project office that focuses more on radar and [opto-infrared] persistent maritime unmanned aerial systems, said.
"So, take pictures and use radar ......," he saidThe surface surveillance functions that the P-3 is completing are provided, "and the P-8" is mainly focused on" anti-submarine warfare.
But the original Triton design — based on the RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS — was missing something: signals intelligence capabilities, or "boxes for gathering signals intelligence," Gale explained.
Northrop Grumman decided to redesign the mission system to facilitate the integration of signal intelligence boxes, and work began in 2016.
The Triton model, which has reached initial operational capability — known as the Multi-Intelligence IOC4 configuration — is making initial deployments to the Navy's Seventh Fleet in the Indo-Pacific region.
Rho Cauley Bruner, director of the Triton program at Northrop Grumman, called the aircraft's capabilities irreplaceable, noting that other manned systems can only provide limited perception capabilities at the expense of other tasks such as anti-submarine warfare.
Triton's long-range sensors allow it to detect, classify, and track sea targets "far beyond the range of enemy ship and surface-to-air missile detection shots," operating at an altitude of more than 50,000 feet and with a 24-hour endurance. Triton's multifunctional active sensor radar can "survey an area larger than China in a single 24-hour mission." The aircraft will be used in areas of "special interest" to combat commanders to obtain data for real-time tactical decision-making. In addition, the dataset is fed back to the intelligence analyst for strategic decision-making.
It's really just a tool in the toolbox to extract data to help combat commanders make decisions," Gayle said.
Triton's upgrade kit was also a major reason for the postponement and change of schedule. The schedule for the program recently changed last year and is likely to continue to do so.
It was carried out due to Triton's new multi-intelligence capabilities.
An assessment to determine if the Navy still needs as many systems as originally envisioned in 2008.
Assessments conducted by the Navy and the Joint Requirements Monitoring Committee have shown that this is not the case. In 2008, Gale said, the plan called for five 24 7 orbital operations, that is, aircraft stations — one each for the 5th, 6th and 7th fleets, and one for each of the two coasts.
Funding for the current production batch resulting from the assessment will continue until 2024. The program received $1.3 billion in funding for the defense program over the next few years, and the budget** will be extended for five years.
At the same time, Northrop Grumman is supplying the Royal Australian Air Force with four aircraft, as well as ground and support systems, for maritime surveillance. The Royal Australian Air Force** said the first of the four Tritons is expected to be delivered in 2024.
Northrop Grumman's inaugural flight of the Australian Triton aircraft at the Palmdale Aircraft Integration Center in California on November 9 marked a major production milestone for the project.
In parallel with the assessment of the Navy, the Office of the Minister of Defense decided to examine the future potential of the aircraft, studying the capabilities that could be added in the future. Gale said the results of the assessment provided full funding for an additional capacity group called "Increment 2", which will be deployed between 2027 and 2028. While it is not possible to list specific features, he said that increment2 will build on the existing architecture and significantly improve "many systems". Triton's current multi-smart configuration is Delta 1.
There are no plans for Increment 3 yet, but incremental.
and that assessments and evaluations may continue. This uncertainty worries the Office of the Director of Operational Testing and Evaluation. Its 2022 annual assessment expressed concern about the project's development delays and its impact on testing. "Development delays caused the program to postpone test points in the comprehensive test plan to maintain the IOC date, resulting in mission capabilities not being exercised or evaluated prior to the start of [initial operational testing and evaluation]," the report states. ”
Due to the criticality of the function and the importance of the EP-3, the combat commander decided to deploy the system based on the available data sets. So we haven't finished operational testing yet, we're working on this issue now with dot&e. ”
In addition to the delays, milestones in the program include achieving early operational capability in 2020 and Triton's maiden flight as a multi-intelligent aircraft in July 2021. Northrop Grumman delivered the first production multi-intelligent Triton to the Navy in February 2022 and six more since then, followed by an IOC statement in July and a public announcement in September.
Gale said the current focus is on the production of aircraft and ground stations, and plans to launch Operation Triton with the Sixth Fleet in February and with the Fifth Fleet in October. There are lessons to be learned from the highs and lows of the program, especially since it is the first of its kind.
For the Navy, Triton opens the way not only in terms of development and procurement, but also in terms of personnel and training - learn Xi "how to make these unmanned systems work."
Northrop Grumman has focused on advanced development, using its Triton flight test rig for research, development, and integration of advanced feature insertion and mission extensions. The program's mission will continue to expand with the needs of the Navy, and its evolution to a multi-intelligent aircraft has made this possible.