Navy “Operationalizes” New Targeting & Attack Technology for its Triton Drone

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

Hunting enemy ships and submarines, transmitting target data to surface warships and fighter jets and networking or transmitting targeting data across domains in real time are a few of the operations now being performed by the Navy’s maritime-specific Triton drone.  

The Triton has been flying for several years, adding particular value in places such as the Pacific theater as it is specifically engineered to function in a maritime environment. It can change altitude quickly and easy, operate maritime-specific sensing and targeting technology, track moving targets on the ocean, sense through weather obscurants and use special “de-icing” systems to ensure functionality in a wide range of maritime environments. The Triton uses “Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar,” an imaging technology which develops rendering or two-dimensional images of high-value targets by tracking “movement” at sea.

Functioning as a maritime variant of its well-known Global Hawk drone, the Triton has for years been upgraded with longer-range, high-resolution sensing, data analysis and transmission  to enable improved targeting, computing, surveillance and “multi-intelligence” reconnaissance. 

Now, working with Triton-maker Northrop Grumman, the US Navy has declared “initial operating capability” for its upgraded MQ-4C Triton equipped with a new generation of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting capabilities (ISR&T). 

The Navy has for years been clear that the Triton is not an armed platform, however integrating a series of upgraded, next-generation targeting technology greatly improves the platform’s ability to support high-speed attack missions across multiple domains and vast distances. Given this, it does not seem beyond the realm of the possible for the Navy to at some point arm the Triton with Hellfire missiles, Maverick Rockets, Hydra 70s or even drop glide bombs.  Advanced targeting and possible weaponization of the Triton would be greatly improved with the integration of new computing and command and control technology, as AI-enabled algorithms could integrate, organize and analyze incoming pools of sensor data to expedite targeting. 

The technological enhancements to Triton would appear to indicate a strong Navy resolve to add more Triton’s in the future and sustain the platform for decades. This may reflect upon a growing realization that, despite being larger and “less-stealthy” per say, a Triton drone can draw upon evolving technologies and specific attributes to massively enhance its operational impact and greatly strengthen its survivability should it be needed against a technologically advanced great power adversary.