Australia will buy a fourth MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance drone at a cost of more than $100 million, which can climb to altitudes of more than 15 kilometres and fly for 30 hours at speeds of 575 kilometres per hour

In September 2022, Northrop Grumman unveiled the first MQ-4C Triton drone for the Royal Australian Air Force. Initially, the American company received an order for three UAVs. However, the Australian Department of Defence decided to purchase a fourth drone.

Here's What We Know

The MQ-4C Triton is a reconnaissance platform that can climb to an altitude of more than 15 kilometres and reach a speed of 610 km/h. The drone is equipped with a Rolls-Royce AE 3007 engine. The cruising speed is 575 km/h and the flight time is 30 hours.

The cost of the MQ-4C for the Royal Australian Air Force is not specified. However, it is known that the development programme cost almost $13 billion, and the average price of one drone is over $120 million. The export value may be higher.

The MQ-4C Triton, unveiled last autumn, will be delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force in 2024. The Australian government has also signed a $220m contract to provide interim support to fund the establishment of a maintenance team at Tindal.

Source: Australian Ministry of Defence, Breaking Defence