Droner

  

Dette er overraskende lesning. Maskinen er solgt til Australia og er på plass der. Det er forundelig å lese at typen har feil/mangler. Oppdateringer er på vei står det. Jeg håper allikevel at Norge ikke vurderer denne eller RQ varianten Global Hawk. De vil neppe passe våre operative forhold med utfordrende vind. (Red.)

MQ-4C Approved For Initial Use Despite Deficiencies That Could Prevent Mission Success, Says Pentagon Auditor

By Rich Abott | September 18, 2025
Send Feedback

MQ-4C Triton, U.S. Navy, unmanned aircraft

 

An MQ-4C is shown after its arrival in Guam (U.S. Navy Photo)

The Navy “failed to effectively manage the operational capabilities” of the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft program, declaring Initial Operation Capability (IOC) before undergoing an initial testing phase despite having several important deficiencies, according to a new report from the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DOD OIG).

The auditors found the Navy specifically did not correct deficiencies at two separate stages because the service determined the Triton was still beneficial to the fleet, leading to it declaring IOC in August 2023 before even conducting Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E).

MQ-4C is a long-endurance Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) unmanned aircraft that aids in signals intelligence (SIGINT), communications relay and search and rescue operations. It is operated from ground stations staffed by five crewmembers. It replaces the legacy EP-3E ARIES II aircraft for SIGINT needs and the law states the Navy could not retire the old aircraft until it could replace it with an equivalent or superior capability. 

According to the Navy’s FY 2024 budget documents, the service plans to procure 27 total MQ-4Cs and the report said prime contractor Northrop Grumman [NOC] reported that, as of March, 20 aircraft were delivered.

Notably, the DOD OIG report said the Navy retired its legacy SIGINT platform in 2024 without verifying if the MQ-4C SIGINT capabilities are operationally effective and suitable, causing a “potential capability gap.”

The program began Developmental Testing and Evaluation (DT&E) in June 2012, which is used to verify if system design is satisfactory and if all technical and contract requirements have been met. 

Deficiencies found during the process can include technical issues or discrepancies in design, material, construction or software that could lead to a malfunction, failure or just unsatisfactory performance. They are rated on a five-part scale, from those that cause mission risk that preclude accomplishment of primary and secondary missions that prohibit further flights or testing all the way down to deficiencies with no significant impact on missions but should be avoided in future designs.

Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Zero (VX‑20) is responsible for the Triton’s DT&E.

The Navy then conducted limited Operational Testing and Evaluation in July 2023 and October 2024, which means field testing under realistic conditions to determine the effectiveness and stability of the systems in combat. This phase uses a range of four categories for deficiencies ranging from severe that preclude mission accomplishment to minor with no significant impact.

In the third stage of testing and evaluation, the Director Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), known as the Pentagon’s independent weapons tester, typically oversees IOT&E to determine if systems are operationally effective and suitable, measuring the overall ability of a system to accomplish the mission when used by representative personnel in the planned environment or expected use of the system.

Despite going through the first two phases while racking up deficiencies that need correcting, the report said the Navy “did not effectively manage the operational capabilities” of the aircraft. Specifically, the program office PMA-262 did not correct DT&E deficiencies, which would preclude the Navy from conducting IOT&E. It also did not correct OT&E deficiencies reported in interim operational test reports.

While the OIG report redacts the number of each kind of deficiency, the spacing implies there are possible triple digit open DT&E deficiencies and double-digit open OT&E deficiencies. 

Because the Navy still approved initial use despite the open deficiencies, the DOD OIG said 20 MQ-4Cs have been delivered by March, which include deficiencies “that could prevent them from accomplishing missions.”

It noted the Navy has already spent $83 million to retrofit two Tritons to the latest version and will need to spend more to retrofit them further to correct the deficiencies in addition to ultimately retrofitting the full fleet.

The report said Navy officials argued waiting for the full IOT&E results could cause delay in delivering capabilities to the field and it developed a comprehensive corrective action plan and then fixed DT&E deficiencies, so the Navy declared IOC in August 2023 without completion IOT&E.

Although Program Executive Office, Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO U&W) “certified IOT&E readiness, DOT&E still did not approve the MQ-4C Triton program IOT&E test plan, citing immature SIGINT systems and related deficiencies that precluded operationally representative testing.”

The report continued that while DOT&E sent the Navy a memorandum in January 2023 identifying four SIGINT-related criteria that had to be met for IOT&E and Navy officials said all deficiencies preventing the approval of IOT&E were corrected,” the Pentagon’s weapons tester and DT&E tester VX-20 did not agree that a redacted number of “critical Part *I and Part **I deficiencies [the two highest levels] were corrected. Additionally, the Navy did not demonstrate whether the SIGINT capabilities were achieved and validated by [Operational Test and Evaluation Force (OPTEVFOR)] in an operational environment.”

DOT&E also did not approve MQ-4C for IOT&E based on immaturity in its SIGINT systems starting in early 2023 and, as of the FY 2024 DOT&E report, the weapons tester said operational effectiveness of MQ-4C for its primary SIGINT missions “remained unknown.”

As of February, DOT&E still did not approve MQ-4C to proceed with IOT&E because it did not meet entrance criteria and several DT&E and OT&E deficiencies were still open.

DOTE’s FY 2024 report found the MQ-4C is not likely to be operationally suitable and the OPTEVFOR reported the Triton is only available to conduct intelligence missions some redacted fraction of the time.

DOD OIG made several recommendations for the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition to take corrective actions like meeting IOT&E entrance criteria, address the remaining deficiencies, and develop guidance to more generally limit IOC declarations before completing IOT&E. Navy officials largely concurred and said PMA-262 is on track to release software in September to correct remaining deficiencies.

A version of this story originally appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.

----oooo00O00ooooo----

New Chinese Flying Wing Drone Design Emerges

By The Editor on Sep 18, 2025 06:58 am

A new twin-jet engine flying-wing drone design has emerged in China. While details are currently limited, the Chinese aviation industry has been developing an expanding array of flying-wing unmanned aircraft, including as unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAV) and high-altitude intelligence-gathering platforms, often in cooperation with state-run research institutions. TWZ assessed years ago that there was […]

Read in browser »

Second GA-ASI Blue Magic Netherlands Event Set for November

By The Editor on Sep 18, 2025 06:57 am

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Defence and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, will host its second Blue Magic Netherlands (BMNL) event on November 18, 2025. BMNL 2025 follows the successful first event in 2024 and will take place at the MELT at Avular building, a world-class […]

Read in browser »

AimLock ads Precision to Teledyne FLIR Defense C-UAS Capabilities

By The Editor on Sep 18, 2025 06:54 am

– AimLock, a pioneer in autonomous targeting and engagement systems, announced it is collaborating with Teledyne FLIR Defense to provide autonomous kinetic capabilities for the company’s SUGV 325 and Kobra 725 ground robots. AimLock’s systems, powered by the company’s Core Targeting Modules (CTMs), will support Teledyne FLIR’s robots in delivering decision-accelerating kinetic autonomy across key […]

Read in browser »

ZALA ZARYA-1M AI-Enabled UAVs Deployed by Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations

By The Editor on Sep 18, 2025 06:51 am

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) has begun pilot operations of ZALA ZARYA unmanned aerial systems equipped with artificial intelligence for automated wildfire detection, according to ZALA Aero’s press office. The ZALA ZARYA product line includes the ZALA ZARYA-1 and ZALA ZARYA-1M models, which are currently deployed in over 60 cities across Russia. These […]

Read in browser »

Parallel Flight Technologies Gets $3.8M ONR Contract to Develop Maritime-Capable Firefly UAS

By The Editor on Sep 18, 2025 06:43 am

– Parallel Flight Technologies (PFT), a manufacturer of heavy-lift, hybrid-powered unmanned aerial systems (UAS), has been awarded a $3.74 million Sequential Phase II SBIR contract to modify its flagship aircraft, Firefly, for maritime operations. The contract, funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), marks a significant milestone in expanding the UAS’s mission versatility for […]

Read in browser »


Recent Articles:Tekever to Build Fourth UK Manufacturing Facility
FLANQ and CIS Form Strategic Partnership for USV-Launched UAVs
UK Royal Navy Declares Two Drone Systems Now Operational
Startup Aims to Deliver Autonomous Airlifter for USAF By 2028
Chinese Drone Drops 1.2 Tons of Cargo