Denmark, Finland, Germany and Norway have disclosed their intent to acquire up to five Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton uncrewed aerial vehicles to bolster Nato’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Force.
In this connection, a Letter of Intent for this procurement was signed during the Nato Summit Defence Industry Forum held in Ankara, Türkiye.
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Northrop Grumman said it will work closely with the Alliance, the US Navy, and trans-Atlantic industrial partners to build and deliver the aircraft.
The company will manufacture the aircraft, while Airbus Defence and Space, along with other European companies, will deliver the ground segment, data management services, command-and-control capabilities, infrastructure, and mission support.
According to Nato, these new aircraft are intended to supplement its existing Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) fleet, which operates from the Sigonella airbase located in Italy.
Currently, the AGS fleet includes Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4D Phoenix variant of the Global Hawk.
Northrop Grumman global surveillance division vice president and general manager Jane Bishop said: “Our collaboration with Nato and the US Navy strengthens the Alliance’s ground and maritime surveillance capabilities.
“Like Phoenix, Triton conducts ISR at higher altitude and with longer endurance than medium-altitude systems, and is poised to provide Nato new levels of capability and operational flexibility to monitor and protect maritime interests from the Mediterranean to the High North.”
The MQ-4C Triton, developed for the US Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force, is intended for maritime surveillance.
According to Northrop Grumman, Triton can operate at altitudes above 50,000ft for more than 24 hours, with a range of 7,400 nautical miles.
The aircraft supports roles such as maritime patrol, signals intelligence, and search and rescue.
With integrated long-range sensors, the Triton aircraft aims to improve Nato Allies’ capacity to identify threats, protect shipping lanes, and operate across demanding locations, including the Arctic and High North regions.
