Australia's Ministry of Defence has declared it plans to send a letter of request to the US Navy seeking information on a potential acquisition of the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton, a maritime patrol variant of the high-altitude Global Hawk.
The intent to issue a formal information request is the next step in the process of acquiring a weapon system from the US government. Such a letter is a request for detailed technical information, including potential modifications and costs.
The letter would be formally issued through the USN, as any potential sale would be government-to-government, with the aircraft formally purchased by the USN and sold to Australia's military.
Triton's first flight is anticipated in the near future, according to USN officials. The USN plans to acquire a fleet of 68 MQ-4Cs, and intends to field them operationally in 2016.
Triton is a substantially-modified variant of the RQ-4 Global Hawk, which is flown by the US Air Force for long-range reconnaissance. It adds an electronically scanned maritime radar, automatic information system and a communications relay payload.
MQ-4 has been ordered by the USN as a partial replacement for the aging Lockheed P-3C, which first flew in 1959. The MQ-4s are meant to work in concert with Boeing 737-derived P-8 Poseidon aircraft, several of which have been delivered to the US and Indian navies. Australia is also involved with the P-8 programme, and intends to order that aircraft as well.
[via]
Post A Comment:
0 comments:
Post a Comment