KBR awarded contracts on MQ-4C Triton

KBR has welcomed two separate contracts with the department of defence, supporting the first MQ-4C Triton remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS), ahead of scheduled delivery of the aircraft in 2024’s second half. 

The company said in a statement on Tuesday (Houston, US time) that the contracts will see it support Triton’s “aeronautical and geospatial requirements, mission planning network development and mission planning”.

The two contracts will cover activities including surveying airfields, with data collected to then be used to “produce complex mission plans that the MQ-4C Triton Air Vehicle Pilot will use to taxi, takeoff, conduct missions and land.”

“[The] contracts are a great reflection of the team’s efforts in supporting MQ-4C Triton during 2023 and our company’s world-leading mission planning and sustainment capabilities,” Vice President GS APAC Nic Maan said in a statement.

The Triton platform has been under development by the United States Navy since 2008.

“KBR has for more than a decade developed and grown critical mission planning capabilities supporting the Royal Australian Navy, Army and Air Force,” added Maan.

According to the Royal Australian Air Force’s website, the Triton fleet will be based at RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory, and operated by the Number 9 Squadron at RAAF Base Edinburgh, in South Australia.

The new fleet will provide surveillance across Australia’s maritime approaches and other areas of interest, complementing the RAAF’s P-8A Poseidon.

Delivery of the first of four MQ-4C Tritons, built by Northrop Grumman, is expected in the year’s second half.

Northrop announced the first flight of the initial MQ-4C Triton destined for Australia in November. 

Picture: credit RAAF