By NIGEL PITTAWAY
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — The acquisition of Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton unmanned air vehicle took a step closer yesterday with the Australian government announcement that it would issue a letter of request to the US for pricing and availability data.
In a joint statement on May 16, Defence Minister Stephen Smith and Minister for Defense Materiel Mike Kelly said the letter would allow Australia to gain access to detailed cost and capability information, and establish a Foreign Military Sales Technical Case with the US Navy.
“The release of a Letter of Request for the FMS Technical Services Case does not commit Australia to the acquisition of the MQ-4C Triton. Defense will continue to investigate options for a mixed manned and unmanned fleet to inform Government consideration later in the decade,” the ministers said.
Australia has a requirement for up to seven high altitude long endurance UAVs under Phase 1B of Project AIR 7000.
Read the full story at DefenseNews
Related Story: Triton unmanned maritime surveillance aircraft