US Triton drones deployed to Guam for surveillance over China, North Korea

The unmanned aircraft, which have a range of up to 13,000km, mean Washington can monitor a vast section of the Pacific including shipping lanes

Their presence in the Asia-Pacific region is unsurprising given current relations with Beijing and Pyongyang, an expert says

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The Triton unmanned aircraft system completes its first flight at the Northrup Grumman manufacturing facility in California in 2014. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:22pm, 3 Feb 2020Updated: 8:02pm, 3 Feb 2020

The United States Navy has deployed two MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft to the US island territory of Guam, the first time the drones have been positioned in the Pacific, in a bid to step up Washington’s surveillance capabilities in the region.

The two Tritons are part of Unmanned Patrol Squadron (VUP) 19 and will be joined by two more drones in the coming weeks, the US Navy said.

“The inaugural deployment of [the Tritons] brings enhanced capabilities and a broad increase in maritime domain awareness to our forward fleet commanders,” said Rear Admiral Peter Garvin, commander of the Navy’s Patrol and Reconnaissance Group, in a statement. “VUP19, the Navy’s first dedicated [unmanned aircraft systems] squadron … is superbly trained and ready to provide the persistent [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] coverage the Navy needs.”

The Tritons, which will be operated from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, can remain airborne for more than 24 hours and have an operational ceiling of 16km and a range of more than 13,000km.

The vehicle’s range and endurance mean a Triton is able to monitor a vast swathe of the Western Pacific, including the region’s busy shipping lanes. Beijing and Pyongyang are some 4,000km and 3,400km from Guam respectively.

Garren Mulloy, professor of international relations at Japan’s Daito Bunka University, said the deployment appeared to be primarily to provide additional maritime surveillance capabilities to US forces confronting security threats posed by North Korea and China, though he confirmed Tritons are capable of carrying out missions over land as well.