The U.S. Navy's MQ-4C Triton, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can remain aloft for over 24 hours on its spy missions, will be deployed to Asia and the Pacific after reaching initial operating capability in 2018.

The largest UAV operated by the U.S. military, Triton provides persistent maritime ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It can stay aloft for over 24 hours at 17,000 meters at speeds of up to 610 km/h.

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Triton is a forward-deployed, land-based system operated autonomously and primarily used for maritime surveillance operations.

The UAV offers a persistent maritime ISR capability via a multi-sensor mission payload (radar, electro-optical / infra-red / electronic support measures). It also provides ISR capabilities such as tracking, vessel detection and classification over vast ocean and coastal regions.

Triton is equipped with a robust mission sensor suite, facilitating unprecedented persistent 360° maritime domain awareness.

Its surveillance sensor is the AN/ZPY-3 Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS) X-band AESA radar with a 360-degree field-of-regard. This sensor is capable of 7,000,000 km2 of sea (as well as shoreline or land), or 5,200 km2 of land in a single sweep.

The radar can identify a target in any weather and take high-definition radar pictures. It then uses the advanced image and radar return recognition software of the onboard automatic identification system to classify the target without the aircraft operators needing to.

Triton first flew in May 2013. The navy plans to buy 68 of these behemoths, each of which costs $180 million.

Triton recently completed the formal lab and first flight testing of an upgraded software suite that will help improve its operational capabilities. The upgraded software is also intended to facilitate Triton's early operational capability by early 2018.

The integration of this enhanced software suite expands Triton's operational maritime ISR and targeting, and moves it that much closer to qualification for operational missions in the Pacific Theater, including Asia.

Triton is 14.5 meters long; has a wingspan of 40 meters and a height of 4.7 meters. It was developed by Northrop Grumman.