14 DAY TRIAL // Officials at the Northrop Grumman Corporation announce that engineers have just finished nine successful test flights with the Triton unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which is being developed for the United States Navy. The drone is scheduled to enter active service soon.
These flights are part of a process called envelope expansion, which calls for the UAS to fly up to 20 test flights, while experts analyze its performances. The nine test flights already completed were carried out on Monday, January 6, 2014, at Northrop's facility in Palmdale, California.
The main goal of the assessments was to determine how the Triton behaves at different altitudes and speeds, while carrying cargoes of varying weights. A 9.4-hour endurance flight was also completed, at a top altitude of 15,240 meters (50,000 feet). The UAS took off for the first time on May 22, 2013.
Throughout its tests, Northrop engineers kept a close eye on the structural integrity and performances of the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensor payloads that will go on Triton when it enters active service. The Navy has ordered up a total of 68 such drones, to complement its manned fleet of P-8 Poseidon aircraft.