Page 122 - Australian Defence Magazine November 2021

122 AIRPOWER
NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
Acceptance by the RAAF of the first of up to seven MQ- 4C Triton high altitude, long-endurance (HALE) remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) is expected in 2023. How- ever, arrival in-country may not take place until 2024 due to delays in infrastructure works at RAAF Edinburgh – the Tritons’ main operating base for the ground segment – and forward operating facilities at RAAF Tindal.
Options under consideration for the initial employment of the aircraft until infrastructure completion include op- erating alongside two US Navy Tritons currently deployed to Andersen USAF base in Guam to further develop the Triton’s concept of operations.
Meanwhile manufacturer Northrop Grumman dis- closed in September the delivery to Australia of the Triton Network Integration Test Environment (NITE). This will support the Chief Information Officer Group in configur- ing and testing the array of Triton network interfaces and systems on Defence’s wide area networks.
The 2016 Defence White Paper forecasts a requirement for seven Tritons under Project Air 7000 Phase 1B; suf- ficient to establish two simultaneous, persistent orbits on a 24/7 basis (three aircraft each – one aircraft observing, one being prepared, one in post-mission turnaround) leav- ing one in maintenance/reserve.
Sustainment funding for the current approved fleet of three MQ-4Cs was announced in January 2021. Defence said in April that the acquisition of further aircraft was subject to further government consideration “and contin- ued review of the future balance between the Triton and Poseidon”.
The Tritons will work in conjunction with and comple- ment the P-8As, whose mission requirements in addition to maritime ISR include anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, and search and rescue. The Tritons could also be tasked with missions over hostile areas with degrees of risk that are more acceptable than those for manned platforms.
From an altitude of more than 50,000 feet, a Triton will be able to observe more than 2.5 million square kilometres in a single 24-hour mission, relaying near real-time data to the Distributed Ground Station - Australia (DGS-AUS) at RAAF Edinburgh.
LEFT: The RAAF will receive four Gulfstream G550-based MC-55A Peregrine ISREW aircraft from 2023
BELOW: A P-8A Poseidon aircraft from 11 Sqn prepares for the Air Force Centenary flypast in Canberra on 31 March 2021
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