Call it combat ready. Or fit for duty.
Those two phrases refer to a degree of development and preparation where a military system, such as an aircraft, is ready for work.
In the language of the Pentagon, it’s called Initial Operating Capability, or IOC.
Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE: NOC) announced earlier this month (Sept. 14) that one of its products had reached that point. The company’s U.S. Navy customer declared that the multi-intelligence MQ-4C Triton had achieved initial operating capability.
Triton is an unmanned aircraft tailored for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It can reach altitudes greater than 50,000 feet and stay aloft for more than 24 hours. In one 24-hour mission, Triton can survey four million nautical miles.
Its work is similar to that done by its manned counterpart, the P-8A Poseidon – a Boeing product that is a variant of that builder’s 737.
“Triton has proven to be invaluable for the maritime patrol and reconnaissance mission in the Indo-Pacific,” said Rho Cauley Bruner, director of the Triton program, in a statement distributed by Northrop Grumman. “Now that the system has achieved initial operating capability, commanders will be able to fully leverage Triton’s powerful sensor suite to detect and deter potential adversaries around the world.”
The MQ-4 Triton has San Diego roots. It was derived from the Global Hawk, originally designed and built by Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical near San Diego International Airport. It first flew in 1998. Northrop Grumman bought Ryan shortly thereafter. The program is still based in San Diego.
Northrop Grumman said it has delivered five multi-intelligence Triton aircraft to the Navy, with the latest delivered in June.
Australia Places Order
Northrop Grumman is also building Tritons for Australia.
The company announced last week (Sept. 20) that Australia set aside funding to buy an additional Triton. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The move will bring the total fleet size in Australia to four aircraft.
Northrop Grumman plans to deliver the first Triton aircraft to its Australian customer in 2024.
Retrofit Work Worth $83M
In related news, the Pentagon on Aug. 23 announced a deal to retrofit two of the Navy’s Triton aircraft. The Navy awarded an $83.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement.
The order provides for retrofit of two Triton unmanned aircraft systems (B9 and B10) and one main operating base (MB-6P) to an Integrated Functional Capability Four, multiple-intelligence configuration for the Navy and the government of Australia. Some 39.5% of the work will be performed in San Diego; another 49.6% will be performed in Palmdale, where the aircraft are built.
The Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River, Maryland announced the order on Aug. 23.
A second deal, worth $14.1 million, was announced at the end of August.
The Navy awarded Northrop Grumman an order for the installation of MQ-4C Triton ground segments mobile operating base (MOB), one primary and secondary and MOB two primary and secondary, as well as the performance of post installation site acceptance testing for the government of Australia.
Additionally, this order exercises options to provide software loads for the MOB one primary and secondary and the MOB two primary. Some 7.7% of the work will be performed in San Diego. The bulk of the work (77.1%) will be performed in McLean, Virginia. Another 7.7% of the work will be performed in Australia. Work is expected to be completed in November 2024.
The Naval Air Systems Command of Patuxent River, Maryland, announced the order on Aug. 31.
Viasat Pulls in Satellite Deal
The U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) awarded contracts to provide satellite services to 16 vendors, including Inmarsat, which is now part of Viasat (NASDAQ: VSAT).
The 16 vendors will now be able to compete for up to $900 million worth of work under the contracts for Proliferated Low Earth Orbit Satellite-Based Services.
A statement distributed by DISA said that the deals will let the U.S. Department of Defense, other federal agencies and international coalition partners procure fully managed satellite-based services and capabilities for all domains (space, air, land, maritime and cyber) with a consistent, quality-backed, low-latency offering.
The 16 contractors will now wait for task orders. Each contractor is guaranteed a minimum of $2,000. The deal runs through July 2028. The government has an option to continue the deals for another five years, to 2033.
Proposals were solicited through the government’s SAM.gov website. The government received 25 proposals, announcing the awards on July 21.
