Northrop Grumman provides the US Navy with the fourth triton, achieving initial operational capability.

N??th??? G??mm?n C??????ti?n ??liv???? th? ????th m?lti-int?lli??nc? MQ-4C T?it?n t? th? U.S. N?v? ?h??? ?? initi?l ?????ti?n?l c????ilit? (IOC) this ????. Th? N??th??? G??mm?n MQ-4C T?it?n is ?n Am??ic?n hi?h-?ltit??? l?n? ?n????nc? ?nm?nn?? ???i?l v?hicl? (UAV) ?n??? ??v?l??m?nt ??? th? Unit?? St?t?s N?v? ?s ? s??v?ill?nc? ?i?c???t. Th? ??liv??? c?m?l?t?s th? s?t ?? ?i?c???t ??? Unm?nn?? P?t??l S??????n (VUP) 19’s ?st??lishm?nt ?? th? ?i?st ?????ti?n?l ???it, whil? ? s?c?n? ???it is ??????in? ??? ??liv??? this s?mm??. With th??? ???its ?l?nn?? ????n? th? ?l???, th? T?it?n m?lti-int?lli??nc? ?nc??w?? ?i?c???t will ???vi?? 24/7 ?n???c???nt?? m??itim? ?w???n?ss.

T?it?n ??il?s ?n ?l?m?nts ?? th? RQ-4 Gl???l H?wk; ch?n??s incl??? ??in???c?m?nts t? th? ?i? ???m? ?n? win?, ??-icin? s?st?ms, ?n? li?htnin? ???t?cti?n s?st?ms. Th?s? c????iliti?s ?ll?w th? ?i?c???t t? ??sc?n? th????h cl??? l????s t? ??in ? cl?s?? vi?w ?? shi?s ?n? ?th?? t????ts ?t s?? wh?n n?????. Th? s?ns?? s?it?s ?ll?w shi?s t? ?? t??ck?? ?? ??th??in? in???m?ti?n ?n th?i? s????, l?c?ti?n, ?n? cl?ssi?ic?ti?n. Th? s?st?m is int?n??? t? ???vi?? ???l-tim? int?lli??nc?, s??v?ill?nc? ?n? ??c?nn?iss?nc? missi?ns (ISR) ?v?? v?st ?c??n ?n? c??st?l ???i?ns, c?ntin???s m??itim? s??v?ill?nc? ?n? t? c?m?l?m?nt th? B??in? P-8 P?s?i??n m??itim? ??t??l ?i?c???t.

Th? MQ-4C c?n ??m?in ?l??t m??? th?n 30 h???s ?t 55,000 ?t (17,000 m) ?t s????s ?? ?? t? 330 kn?ts (380 m?h; 610 km/h). Its s??v?ill?nc? s?ns?? is th? AN/ZPY-3 M?lti-F?ncti?n Activ? S?ns?? (MFAS) X-??n? AESA ????? with ? 360-?????? ?i?l?-??-??????, c????l? ?? s??v??in? 2,700,000 s? mi (7,000,000 km2) ?? s?? in ? 24-h??? ???i??, ?? 2,000 s? mi (5,200 km2) in ? sin?l? sw???. Usin? th? ????? in inv??s? s?nth?tic ????t??? m???, th? MFAS c?n i??nti?? ? t????t in ?ll w??th?? c?n?iti?ns. Th? T?it?n is s?mi-??t?n?m??s t? c?ns??v? m?n??w??, s? ?????t??s ?nl? n??? t? ch??s? ?n ?????tin? ???? ??? th? ?i?c???t, ?n? s?t s????, ?ltit???, ?n? ??j?ctiv? ??th?? th?n ?????tin? c?nt??ls.

Th? U.S. N?v?’s ?isc?l 2017 ?????t ?????st incl???s 19 MQ-4 T?it?ns th????h ?isc?l 2021, with ?i?st ???l??m?nt t? th? P?ci?ic in ?isc?l 2017. Th? t?sts ?v?l??t?? th? MQ-4C’s k?? s?ns??s – ?n ?ctiv? ?l?ct??nic?ll? sc?nn?? ????? ?????, ?n ?l?ct??-??tic/in?????? c?m??? ?n? ? h????c????n ??t?ct??.

On 12 D?c?m??? 2019, th? U.S. N?v? st?t?? th?t ?n? ?? its RQ-4A Gl???l H?wk ?i?c???t h?? ???n ??m???? ???in? ? t?k???? in th? Mi??l? E?st in N?v?m??? 2019. Th? c???t, which c?st $123 milli?n in 2015, w?s ?stim?t?? ?? USNI t? ?? v?l??? ?t $180 milli?n ?? 2019. On 26 J?n???? 2020, VUP-19 ???l???? th? MQ-4C ??? th? ?i?st tim?, with tw? ?i?c???t s?nt t? An???s?n AFB in G??m.