Updated 13/03 0956
One of the notable events on the opening day of the 2023 Avalon Airshow was the appearance of a mock-up of Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton High Altitude Long Range Endurance (HALE) UAS wearing the markings of No.9 Squadron, RAAF.
Australia is set to receive the first of at least three Tritons on order in 2024 under Project Air 7000 Phase 1B. An announcement on further aircraft – the RAAF has a requirement of six, and possibly seven, aircraft – is expected to be informed by the forthcoming Defence Strategic Review (DSR).
The RAAF has until now been secretive about which unit will operate its Tritons, telling ADM as recently as last month that the operating unit is yet to be announced.
No.9 Squadron previously flew the Sikorsky S-70A-9 Black Hawk helicopter, until the RAAF transferred its rotary wing fleet to the Army in 1989 and its last commanding officer was former Chief of Defence Force Angus Houston who, with former Defence Minister Stephen Smith, is one of the architects of the DSR.
The unit has a strong maritime tradition, being formed in January 1939 as a Fleet Cooperation squadron, flying Supermarine Seagull aircraft from the Royal Australian Navy’s capital warships to provide a surveillance and anti-submarine warfare capability.
No.9 Squadron will join the RAAF’s two existing maritime Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) units, 10 and 11 Squadrons, which fly the Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and the Lockheed AP-3C(EW) Orion electronic intelligence gathering aircraft respectively. No 10 Squadron is due to relinquish its AP-3Cs in favour of the new Gulfstream MC-55A Peregrine aircraft being converted to the Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare (ISREW) role by L3 Harris in the United States.
“Congratulations to the Royal Australian Air Force on the reactivation of the historic No. 9 Squadron,” said Jane Bishop, vice president and general manager, global surveillance, Northrop Grumman. “We’re honored the squadron will be operating Australia’s MC-4C Triton uncrewed aircraft for their most demanding maritime ISR missions, and we look forward to delivering the first RAAF Triton in 2024.”
ADM has contacted Defence for official comment.