Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the August 2025 print edition of Aerospace Manufacturing and Design under the headline “US Navy tests Northrop Grumman’s latest MQ-4C.”

Northrop Grumman Corp.’s newest MQ-4C Triton uncrewed multi-intelligence aircraft is undergoing tests with the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command. The aircraft will go through calibration and other testing prior to being transferred to the Navy’s operational unit.
Built for the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force at Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale, California facility, Triton supports a wide range of missions, including maritime patrol, signals intelligence, and search and rescue. To date, 20 Tritons have been produced for the U.S. Navy. https://www.northropgrumman.com
Northern Plains UAS test site offers aerial searches following tornadoes
In response to June tornadoes, The Northern Plains UAS Test Site (NPUASTS), Grand Forks, North Dakota, sent a team to fly drones and assist with aerial searches for scattered belongings and debris. Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) helped community members locate displaced items across fields and farmland, a task that is difficult and time-consuming by ground alone.
Using Vantis, North Dakota’s beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) system, NPUASTS provided safer and more efficient flights assisting the aerial search.
“In the aftermath of disaster, every small piece of normalcy matters. If our drones can help a family recover their lost items or just bring clarity to the chaos, they’ve done their job,” says Erin Roesler, NPUASTS’ deputy executive director. https://www.npuasts.com; https://www.vantisuas.com
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