SAN DIEGO, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Northrop Grumman reports the wing for the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft it is building for the U.S. Navy exceeds Navy requirements for structural strength.
Testing of the wing was conducted recently by Triumph Aerostructures – Vought Aircraft Division, which is manufacturing the wing.
No failures or unacceptable deformations of the structure occurred when the wing was subjected to a load at 22 percent above the Navy's structural strength requirement.
Northrop said flight testing of the wing will take place in 2017 and will include placing various weights within the wing to simulate various fuel loads.
The MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial system is designed to provide long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to the Navy as a complement to P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. It will be able to fly for 30 hours at a time and provide a 360-degree field of view through its sensors.
More than 60 of the aircraft are to be built by Northrop Grumman.
