Germany seeks to purchase MQ-4C Triton UAS in FMS valued at $2.5 billion
NewsApril 06, 2018
WASHINGTON. State Department officials approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Germany of MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for an estimated cost of $2.50 billion.
The prime contractor will be Northrop Grumman Corp. in Rancho Bernardo, California. They will be responsible for integration, installation and functional platform compatibility testing of the payload. Airbus Defence and Space, located in Germany, will be the prime contractor to Germany for the development and manufacturing, and will be responsible for the functional test, end-to-end test and installed performance. There are no known offset agreements in connection with this potential sale.
The Government of Germany has requested to buy four MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), one Mission Control Station (MCS) comprised of one Main Operating Base (MOB) (MD-3A) and one Forward Operating Base (FOB) (MD-3B), 10 Kearfott Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System (INS/GPS), units (two per aircraft plus two spares), and 10 LN-251 INS/GPS units (two per aircraft plus two spares). This proposed MQ-4C UAS sale will be a modified version of the USN Triton configuration.
Also included is one Rolls Royce Engine (spare), communication equipment, support equipment, mission planning element to include Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) Global Positioning System (GPS) items, Communications Security (COMSEC) equipment, mapping, training, support equipment, consumables, spare and repair parts, tools and test equipment, ground support equipment, flight test support, airworthiness support, personnel training and training devices, applicable software, hardware, publications and technical data, facilities and maintenance support, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics supports services, and other elements of unique engineering efforts required to support the integration, installation and functional platform compatibility testing of Germany’s indigenous payload and other related elements of logistics and program support, and other related elements of logistics and program support.
Germany is one of the major political and economic powers in Europe and NATO and a key partner of the United States in ensuring global peace and stability, officials say. The proposed sale of the MQ-4C Triton will support legitimate national security requirements and significantly enhance Germany's intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and the overall collective security of the European Union and NATO.
The proposed MQ-4C UAS sale will be a modified version of the United States Navy (USN) Triton configuration. Implementation of this proposed sale will require the assignment of contractor representatives to Germany to perform contractor logistics support and to support establishment of required security infrastructure.
