Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) congratulated the U.S. Department of the Navy and Northrop Grumman on a key milestone in the development of MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) upon its arrival at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
“I am very pleased that flight testing of Triton is moving forward, and commend the Navy and Northrop Grumman for this milestone in program development,” said Brownley. “Ultimately, Naval Base Ventura County will be the West Coast home for the Triton UAS, a testament to the critical importance of Naval Base Ventura County to our national security. The hundreds of jobs the Triton program is bringing with it will help boost our local economy and strengthen Naval Base Ventura County’s position as an essential component to our nation’s long-term strategic defense requirements. I look forward to welcoming the new personnel to our community.”
According to the Navy, Triton will fly approximately 2,000 hours over the next three years from NAS Patuxent River to support its operational deployment in 2017. Upon arrival in Ventura County, the Triton program will have an initial 4 officers and 43 enlisted sailors based at Naval Base Ventura County, a presence that is expected to grow to 700 servicemembers. According to the Navy’s draft environmental assessment released in February 2013, the county is expected to grow by nearly 2,400 new residents when including family members and support personnel as a result. The squadron, which will have a recovery element detachment, will act as support for the Triton Unmanned Aerial Surveillance unit. Four Tritons are scheduled to be based at Point Mugu, with marine reconnaissance and a maintenance center for the aircraft to be based there.
Video of the Triton can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y5Y48c3PsQ&feature=youtu.be
Issues: 113th Congress, Defense, Jobs, Economy, and Small Business, Local Issues