Northrop Grumman has begun production of the first MQ-4C Triton Drone for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

Developed under the cooperation agreement between Australia and the United States, the MQ-4C Triton Drones will be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

The first of the MQ-4Cs, which are scheduled to be operationally surrounded by existing drones in the RAAF's inventory and platforms such as the P8A Poseidon, will be delivered in 2023.

For the Tritons, Australia will pay about US$5.18 billion.

The UAV is equipped with an AN/ZPY-3 multifunction active electronic phase scanning radar.