US Triton Unmanned aircraft's first flight

The Northrop Grumman built MQ-4C Triton high-altitude unmanned aircraft has successfully completed its first flight from the company's manufacturing facility in Palmdale.

Triton is specially designed to fly surveillance missions up to 24 hours at altitudes of more than 10 miles – allowing coverage out to 2,000 nautical miles. The advanced suite of sensors can detect and automatically classify different types of ships.

"First flight represents a critical step in maturing Triton's systems before operationally supporting the Navy's maritime surveillance mission around the world," Capt. James Hoke, Triton program manager with Naval Air Systems Command said.

A Navy and Northrop Grumman flight test team conducted about a 1.5-hour flight that started at 7:10am from Palmdale.

Additional flight tests will take place from Palmdale to mature the system before being flown to the main flight test facility at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., later this year.

In 2008, Northrop Grumman was awarded a systems development and demonstration contract to build two aircraft and test them in preparation for operational missions.

The Navy's program of record calls for 68 Tritons to be built.

Northrop Grumman's Triton industry team includes Aurora Flight Sciences, BAE Systems, Curtis-Wright Corporation, L3 Communications, Raytheon, Rolls-Royce, Sierra Nevada Corporation and Vought Aircraft Industries.