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Point Mugu Naval Base Gets New Squadron

Unmanned aircraft assembled in Palmdale by Northrop Grumman Corp. will join a new surveillance squadron based at Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu. The four MQ-4C Triton drone aircraft will replace piloted planes used in continuous surveillance of the Pacific Coast, according to the office of Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village, whose district includes the naval base. “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,” said Brownley, in a prepared statement this week. The planes and 47-member squadron will be in place by June 2015. The program is expected to grow to 700 service members by 2020. The final assembly of the MQ-4C Triton, with a wingspan of 130 feet and flight endurance of up to 24 hours, is done at Northrop’s facility in Palmdale. The aircraft is based on the RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft also assembled in Palmdale. The Pentagon is paying $11 billion for 65 of the aircraft, according to a March 2013 Government Accountability Office report.

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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