Preparing your view.
ADrones & UAVs
Maritime unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle and patrol aircraft
At a glance
Measured figures
MQ-4C · Length
Single source47 ft 7 in (14.5 m)[source]
Length
Single sourceConfiguration
| Specification | Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton | TAI Aksungur |
|---|---|---|
| Crew | Unmanned – 4 personnel fly aircraft from ground station[source] | — |
| Type | Maritime unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle and patrol aircraft[source] | Unmanned combat aerial vehicle[source] |
| National origin | United States[source] | Turkey[source] |
| Manufacturer | Northrop Grumman[source] | Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI)[source] |
Official specification · aksungur; 12.5 m
Manufacturer claim2 × TEI-PD170 4-cylinder liquid-cooled turbo-charged horizontally-opposed piston engine each
Single source2 × TEI-PD170 4-cylinder liquid-cooled turbo-charged horizontally-opposed piston engine, 130–160 kW (170–220 hp) each[source]
MQ-4C · 1 × Rolls-Royce AE 3007 turbofan engine thrust
Single source1 × Rolls-Royce AE 3007 turbofan engine, 6,495–8,917 lbf (28.89–39.66 kN) thrust[source]
Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.
| Status | Limited service[source] | In service[source] |
|---|
| Primary users | United States Navy Royal Australian Air Force[source] | — |
|---|
| Number built | US: 68 (planned) + 2 prototypes Australia: 3 delivered out of 4 ordered[source] | 12 (as of March 2023)[source] |
|---|
| Manufactured | 48 as of 2024[source] | 2019-present[source] |
|---|
| Introduction date | May 2018[source] | 20 October 2021[source] |
|---|
| First flight | 22 May 2013 ( 2013-05-22 )[source] | 20 March 2019[source] |
|---|
| Developed from | Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk[source] | — |
|---|
| Alternative designation | MQ-4C Triton[source] | — |
|---|
| Primary user | — | Turkish Armed Forces[source] |
|---|
| Capacity | — | >750 kg (1,650 lb) payload[source] |
|---|
| Hardpoints | — | 6 (Aksungur has 3 hardpoints on each wing with 500 kg, 300 kg and 150 kg capacities) , with provisions to carry combinations of: Missiles: CIRIT ASW : Possibly ROKETSAN DSH (Anti Submarine Warfare Rocket) and Roketsan Orka torpedoes for maritime patrol duties. Bombs : Up to 12 MAM : MAM-L and MAM-C precision-guided munitions L-UMTAS TEBER-81 (laser guided MK-81 ) TEBER-82 (laser guided MK-82 ) HGK-3 (Precision Guidance Kit) KGK (82) (Winged Guidance Kit) UAV Süper Şimşek UAV System[source] |
|---|
| Propellers | — | 3-bladed constant-speed pusher propeller[source] |
|---|
| Communication range | — | Line-of-sight propagation : >250 kilometres (155 mi) Satellite Communications (SATCOM): >5,000 kilometres (3,107 mi)[source] |
|---|
| Line-of-sight propagation | — | >250 kilometres (155 mi)[source] |
|---|
| Satellite Communications (SATCOM) | — | >5,000 kilometres (3,107 mi)[source] |
|---|
| Missiles | — | CIRIT[source] |
|---|
| ASW | — | Possibly ROKETSAN DSH (Anti Submarine Warfare Rocket) and Roketsan Orka torpedoes for maritime patrol duties.[source] |
|---|
| Bombs | — | Up to 12 MAM : MAM-L and MAM-C precision-guided munitions L-UMTAS TEBER-81 (laser guided MK-81 ) TEBER-82 (laser guided MK-82 ) HGK-3 (Precision Guidance Kit) KGK (82) (Winged Guidance Kit)[source] |
|---|
| UAV | — | Süper Şimşek UAV System[source] |
|---|
| Payload | — | 750+ kg[source] |
|---|
Maximum take-off; Official specification · aksungur; 3,300 kg
Manufacturer claim