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<p class="text-body text-muted small">A rendering of an MQ-4C Triton UAS demonstrating persistent targeting for long-range fires during ‘Northern Edge 2023′. (Northrop Grumman)</p>
<p>Northrop Grumman is gleaning lessons learned from the MQ-4C Triton’s recent participation in the US Navy (USN)-led Arctic military exercise ‘Northern Edge 2023′, as programme officials are preparing for the unmanned aerial system (UAS) to reach initial operating capability (IOC).</p>
<p>Achieving IOC for the Triton Integrated Functional Capability (IFC)-4 variant remains “a critical step as the [USN] achieves its naval operational architecture to enable distributed maritime operations,” Rho Cauley-Bruner, Triton programme director at Northrop Grumman, told <em>Janes</em>.</p>
<p>Programme officials at the company continue “leveraging our Triton Flying Test Bed (FTB) to develop, integrate, and demonstrate advanced technologies to meet the navy’s current and future [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] requirements”, in the wake of the ‘Northern Edge’ exercise, Cauley-Bruner said in a 23 June email.</p>
<p>Conducted from 4 May to 19 May, ‘Northern Edge 2023′<strong></strong>took place across the Joint Pacific Alaskan Range Complex (JPARC) and the Gulf of Alaska, along with primary operating bases being Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Eielson Air Force Base. This year’s iteration of the military drills featured a newly expanded exercise area, as well as participation by the UK and Australian armed forces for the first time.</p>
<p>During the exercise, company officials flew the MQ-4C Triton FTB, which is a manned Gulfstream IV equipped with multi-intelligence (multi-INT) payloads and subsystems to be fielded on the IFC-4 variant of the UAS.</p>
<p>A high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) and multi-INT UAS, Triton has been designed to complement the operational capabilities of Northrop Grumman’s P-8A maritime patrol aircraft.</p>
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