L3 Harris to Support Australia’s MQ-4C Triton Drones

Northrop Grumman has signed a contract with L3Harris Corporation (L3HCA) for the operation and maintenance of command-and-control systems aboard Australia’s MQ-4C Triton multi-intelligence unmanned aircraft fleet.

The Interim Sustainment Support Contract covers maintenance of the Triton’s Wideband Command, Control, and Communications (C3) Subsystem, which was developed by L3HCA.

Starting this month, L3HCA will provide seven communications technicians and field service representatives to work with the Northrop Grumman team.

Australia's first MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft completed its inaugural flight at Northrop's Palmdale facility in California in November 2023, with delivery scheduled for 2024. Northrop Grumman confirmed progress on all four Australian Tritons currently under contract, although the fleet isn’t expected to achieve Initial Operational Capability (IOC) until mid-2026.

Australia has ordered four Triton aircraft out of a planned total of seven. The Tritons will be based at RAAF Tindal but controlled by No. 9 Squadron RAAF from RAAF Edinburgh, 2,500 kilometers away. Maintenance will be handled by Northrop Grumman Australia under an interim contract until 2027, supporting the fleet through IOC and towards Full Operational Capability (FOC), when it will transition to a comprehensive through-life support arrangement.