Northrop Grumman Australia said L3Harris will collaborate in its project to supply the MQ-4C Triton multi-intelligence uncrewed aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force. Northrop Grumman will provide four Tritons to the RAAF, with the Australian government awarding the company a contract for another unit in September.
Under an interim sustainment support contract, L3Harris will operate and maintain Triton’s command and control systems, which it developed. Starting this April, seven L3Harris communications technicians and field service representatives will join Northrop’s Triton team in Australia.
Andrew Rushbrook, L3Harris Communications Australia managing director, expressed delight in the Triton partnership, with the company’s C3 solution helping Australia “establish a world-class sovereign capability.”
Northrop Grumman, Triton’s prime system integrator, said it has partnered with several contractors to integrate and maintain the uncrewed aircraft’s key systems and technologies to meet RAAF requirements. The company described its L3Harris partnership as another milestone to advance Triton delivery to the RAAF.
Triton’s first flight was completed in November at the Northrop Grumman Palmdale Aircraft Integration Center in California, demonstrating the unmanned aerial vehicle’s airworthiness.