Page 35 - AAPT March 2019

Feature Story

Australian air force anticipates

Triton's prospects

By Gordon Arthur, Tim Martin in Singapore maritime approaches and conduct Yet he also raised the interesting
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) SAR missions. It can also scout the spectre of what happens if a Triton is
is looking forward to a wide range of way ahead for a naval task group, or dispatched on such an HADR mission,
new capabilities and synergies when it provide a surveillance umbrella above or if it has to make an emergency
begins operating its first MQ-4C Triton in such a group. landing at a foreign airfield while in
around 2023, with more capability to be Over the next couple of years, the transit. How do neighbours treat it when
expected from the Northrop Grumman RAAF will embed crews in the US for it arrives suddenly without any attending
airframe in 2024-25. training, which will help create a core of aircrew? These are all new questions to
Air Cdre Craig Heap, Cdr of the experienced instructors. think about.
RAAF’s surveillance and response The Triton’s 8,000+nm range and He noted that most unmanned
group, presented details at the ADECS 24h endurance will be a ‘key game assets in Australia are currently at the
2019 conference in Singapore about changer’, Heap said. The aircraft will be
how the P-8A Poseidon and the able to reach the South Pole or, if flying LO2 level of interoperability, which
unarmed Triton will be able to work from the Cocos Island in the Indian can be defined as pulling ISR imagery
together to benefit Australia and the Ocean, as far as the Somali coast. directly from a source. The highest
wider region. However, a more likely scenario level, LO5, would involve full remote
Australia has a vast area of would be a 2,000nm radius of action, operations of UAVs, including launch
responsibility for SAR, one that composed of 8h to get on station, 8h on and landing.
comprises 10% of the Earth’s surface. target and 8h to return home. The use The RAAF has so far received
Platforms such as the MQ-4C will help of three MQ-4C UAVs would thus give seven P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol
monitor this large swathe of maritime ‘unblinking’ 24h persistence. aircraft, with six crews trained, heading
territory. The MQ-4C is also a truly all- soon towards eight crews and with the
One future aim is that the crew of weather UAV, with the ability to navigate eventual goal of 12 crews. ‘That process
a P-8A would be able to operate the around bad weather via a weather is occurring at this time.’
sensors of a Triton through manned- radar, plus it has anti-icing and de-icing
unmanned teaming, although the latter capacities. In the future, its AN/ZLQ-1 Heap described the P-8A as
is more a US Army doctrine than an electronic support measures suite will ‘operating superbly within the Australian
Australian piece of terminology. be upgraded to expand into a higher context’, although he also likened it
Another scenario might be the bandwidth. Another future upgrade will to a ‘flying computer’. That means if
use of a Triton to share data with an be the AN/DAS-4 multispectral EO/IR the computer system does not work
Indonesian aircraft in order to drop a life sensor. properly when you log in, the plane
raft during a rescue mission. It also possesses an automatic cannot fly that day. However, this
With partners such as New Zealand identification system for identifying digitised platform will benefit from spiral
and the USN also operating the P-8A and tracking vessels at sea. A sense upgrades being introduced by the USN.
Poseidon, there will be a goal of being and avoid radar is due around 2025, The commander said the P-8’s
able to freely share data between these which is vital for the UAV ascending and serviceability was vastly superior to that
aircraft and Triton too. descending through air traffic routes. of the AP-3C Orion, which is suffering
Heap listed a number of opportunities Australian concepts of operations
that the Triton will bring to Australia: for the Triton will mimic those of the badly from age-related deterioration.
reach, persistence, reaction time USN. Stressing its suitability for SAR An unclassified slide shown at ADECS
especially for humanitarian assistance/ and HADR, Heap highlighted that its 2019 listed a 0.80 serviceability rate for
disaster relief (HADR), fidelity to inform capabilities would be available to assist the P-8A.
responses, situational awareness, regional neighbours for emergencies The arrival of the Triton for ISR
efficient and effective MUM-T response such as tsunamis, sinking ships or missions will allow the P-8 to concentrate
and the ability for the P-8A or other aircraft disappearances. more on other core capabilities such as
asset to monitor and control sensors. However, Heap was at pains to point anti-submarine warfare.
The main operating base for the out, ‘There is no intent here for us to
Triton fleet will be RAAF Base Edinburgh operate Triton in any way, shape or File photos of MQ-4C Triton. Courtesy of
Northrop Grumman.
near Adelaide, although Tindal in the form outside of normal international law https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/
north of Australia will be the key forward and diplomatic clearance.’ He assured uv-online/adecs-2019-australian-air-force-
operating base. This will allow the that the aircraft would not violate the anticipate-tritons/
aircraft to monitor Australia’s northern airspace of other nations.
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