Australia will buy a fourth MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone, which can climb to an altitude of more than 15 kilometers and fly for 30 hours at a speed of 575 kilometers per hour, for more than $100 million.

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In September 2022, Northrop Grumman introduced the first MQ-4C Triton drone to the Royal Australian Air Force. The American company initially received an order for three drones. However, the Australian Department of Defense decided to purchase a fourth drone.

What do you know?

The MQ-4C Triton is a surveillance drone that can climb to an altitude of more than 15 kilometers and reach a speed of 610 km/h. The drone is powered by a Rolls-Royce AE3007 engine. The cruising speed is 575 kmph and the flight time is 30 hours.

The cost of the MQ-4C to the Royal Australian Air Force has not been disclosed. However, it is known that the development project cost almost $13 billion, and the average cost of a drone is more than $120 million. The export value could be even higher.

Introduced last fall, the MQ-4C Triton is scheduled to be delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force in 2024. The Australian government has agreed a $220 million deal to temporarily fund the establishment of a maintenance team at Tyndall.

Source: Australian Department of Defense, breaking Security