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.
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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.