The Northrop Grumman Corporationbuilt MQ-4C Triton high-altitude unmanned aircraft successfully completed its first flight recently from the company’s manufacturing facility in Palmdale.

Triton is specially designed to fly surveillance missions up to 24 hours at altitudes of more than 10 miles – allowing coverage out to 2,000 nautical miles. The advanced suite of sensors can detect and automatically classify different types of ships.

“First flight represents a critical step in maturing Triton’s systems before operationally supporting the Navy’s maritime surveillance mission around the world,” said Captain James Hoke, Triton programme manager with Naval Air Systems Command. “Replacing our ageing surveillance aircraft with a system like Triton will allow us to monitor ocean areas significantly larger with greater persistence.”

Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor to the Navy’s MQ-4C Triton Broad Area Maritime Surveillance programme.

“Triton is the most advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance [ISR] unmanned aircraft system ever designed for use across vast ocean areas and coastal regions,” said Mike Mackey, Northrop Grumman Triton UAS Deputy Program Director. “Through a cooperative effort with the Navy and our industry partners, we successfully demonstrated the flight control systems that allow Triton to operate autonomously. We couldn’t be prouder of the entire team for this achievement.” Additional flight tests will take place from Palmdale to mature the system before being flown to the main flight test facility at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, later this year.