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
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.
“Given the situation with North Korea and China, it is not a surprise that these systems are being deployed to the Asia-Pacific region,” he said. “These will be able to change the way the US obtains key information, thanks to their range and long endurance capabilities.”
The Triton “will deliver maritime surveillance data across a huge area” and will be able to monitor the likes of ship-to-ship transfers involving North Korean merchant ships, which are banned under international sanctions on Pyongyang.
The fact that Washington’s most capable unmanned drones have been deployed to the Western Pacific is significant in itself, Mulloy added.
“Everyone knows that the US has these systems but it’s what they do with them that will make everyone else sit up and take notice,” he said.