Navy Awards Two Contracts for MQ-4C for Upgrades, Advance Acquisition

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has awarded two contracts to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. to advance the fielding of the new MQ-4C Triton high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle.

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) on April 1 awarded a $12.8 million contract modification to upgrade three Tritons “from a baseline Integrated Functional Capability (IFC) 3 software configuration to a Multi-IFC 4 software configuration,” the contract announcement said. “This modification updates drawings and associated technical data in support of the MQ-4C IFC software configuration upgrade.”

Northrop Grumman also was awarded a $7.2 million acquisition contract modification to extend “the period of performance and provides additional funding to procure long-lead components, material, parts and associated efforts required to maintain the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System planned low-rate initial production Lot 4 production schedule.”

Two MQ-4Cs have been delivered to the Navy’s Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 detachment at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California. The Triton was slated to reach Early Operational Capability last year with a deployment to Guam, but the deployment was put on hold after one of the MQ-4Cs was damaged in a landing mishap at Point Mugu.