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The prime has delivered the Triton Network Integration Test Environment (NITE) to Defence ahead of schedule.
Developed by Northrop Grumman and based at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Edinburgh, NITE will support Chief Information Officer Group (CIOG) to configure and test the array of Triton network interfaces and systems prior to the delivery of the first aircraft to Australia in 2023.
The program is designed to de-risk the first Triton aircraft arriving into Australia by leveraging the expertise and lessons learned from Northrop Grumman and the US Navy, according to Christine Zeitz, general manager, Northrop Grumman Asia Pacific.
“We are establishing sovereign capability to support the Triton program which, once established, will revolutionise maritime ISR in the Indo-Pacific region,” Zeitz said.
Critically, NITE enables CIOG to design and test Triton’s network architecture on Defence wide area networks. Despite challenges presented by COVID-19 restrictions, Northrop Grumman’s engineering teams in the US and Australia worked closely together aiming to complete the delivery milestone, leveraging experience learned through supporting the US Navy’s Triton roll-out.
The US Navy and Northrop Grumman achieved the first flight of the multi-intelligence variant on 30 July. Beyond the delivery of the NITE capability, Northrop Grumman is working closely with the US Navy to progress Triton toward initial operating capability and global deployments.
[Related: Thales Australia reports rise in supply chain spending]
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