MQ-4C Triton to Join RAAF
The Australian government is buying six
Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Tritons for
its air force – the rst export order for
the US-built unmanned aircraft system
(UAS). They will be acquired through a
co-operative programme with the US Navy
under Australia’s Project Air 7000 Phase
1 Band, and will inclu de development,
production and sustainment.
In Royal Australian Air Force service,
the Triton will complement the P-8A
Poseidon in the surveillance role and ysustained operations at long ranges as
well as for intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR) tasks.
Facilities at RAAF Base Edinburgh in
South Australia and RAAF Base Tindal in
the Northern Territory will be upgraded for
the UAS, and the necessary ground control
systems, support and training implemented.
Northrop Grumman has already
committed to an AUS$50m advanced
electronic sustainment centre of excellence
at Western Sydney Airport, which willsupport advanced electronics, such as
communications and electronic warfare
equipment and targeting pods.
The rst Tritons should be introduced
into service in mid-2023, with all six
operational by late 2025, stationed
at RAAF Base Edinburgh. Australia
had earlier planned to acquire seven
MQ-4Cs and 15 P-8As, but the latest
announcements suggest these eets
have been scaled back to six and 12
airframes respectively.A second batch of Lockheed Martin F-35B
Lightnings for 617 Squadron arrived at RAF
Marham in Norfolk on the evening of August- The ve Lightnings took off from Marine
Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina,
earlier in the day and ew non-stop to their
new UK home.
This latest delivery brings the total number
of RAF F-35s in the UK to nine – the rst
batch of four arrived on June 6 this year. The
original quartet have begun ying training
sorties from the Norfolk station. The next unit
to stand-up will be 207 Sqn in July 2019 − the
operational conversion unit. The overall plan
is for the UK to procure 138 examples.
Royal Canadian Air Force CH-124 Sea King 12417 has taken
on a special 1960s-style livery to mark 55 years of Royal Canadian
Navy and RCAF operations before the type retires. The paintwork
was applied by a team from the 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron,
at 12 Wing, Shearwater, Nova Scotia, who also repainted 12401
in preparation for induction into the Shearwater Aviation Museum.
Post-retirement, it’s expected that 12417 will remain with 443
Squadron as a ‘gate guardian’. It will also be present at Sea Kingretirement festivities planned in Victoria from November 30 to
December 1.
Elsewhere in Canada, the RCAF’s 434 ‘Bluenose’ Squadron
re-formed on May 31. Now known as 434 Operational Test and
Evaluation (OT&E) Squadron, it’s under the command of the RCAF
Aerospace Warfare Centre (RAWC) in Trenton, Ontario. The squadron
amalgamates ve existing test and evaluation ights (TEFs) and
creates two new TEFs under the command of a single unit.MILITARY NEWS
12
Original Livery for Canadian Sea KingSea King 12417 in the
scheme rst worn by
the type in Canadian
service. RCAFOne of the newly arrived F-35Bs on August 3.
Crown Copyright 2018More LightningsArrive at MarhamAviation News incorporating Jets September 2018