Global Hawk Triton unveiled

PALMDALE, Calif. -- The U.S. Navy's MQ-4C Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aircraft was unveiled during a ceremony Thursday at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, Calif., plant. Called the Triton, the MQ-4C's unveiling caps more than four years of development with Northrop Grumman for the surveillance aircraft, a Global Hawk configured for the Navy's maritime needs. The Triton's new features include the AN/ZPY-3 multi-function active-sensor radar system, the primary sensor on the Triton. The aircraft will be an adjunct to the P-8A Poseidon as part of the Navy's Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force family of systems. (Source: NNS, 06/14/12) One of the Navy's BAMS demonstrator aircraft crashed Monday in a marsh in southern Maryland. (Post) Gulf Coast note: Global Hawks fuselage work is done in Moss Point, Miss.