$240 Million Triton Spy Drone Stops Feet From Disaster After Apparent Florida Runway Overrun
A roughly $240 million MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone built by Northrop Grumman apparently overran a runway at Naval Station Mayport near Jacksonville, Florida, last week, stopping just dozens of feet from plunging into the water.
Footage circulating on X appears to show the drone perched on shoreline riprap beyond the departure end of the base's 8,001-foot Runway 05, narrowly avoiding a plunge into the St. Johns River.
The US Navy operates the Triton for maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, using the high-altitude, long-endurance drone to monitor vast stretches of ocean.
Northrop Grumman said in June 2025 that it had produced 20 Tritons for the US Navy. A single drone represents 5% of that production total. Any loss of the aircraft would be a significant loss for the fleet. That figure does not represent the current operational fleet, as those figures are unknown.
The Navy has not publicly explained what caused the drone to end up on the riprap. The footage suggests a possible runway overrun.
Tyler Durden Wed, 10/07/2026 - 06:55
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[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
A roughly $240 million MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone built by Northrop Grumman apparently overran a runway at Naval Station Mayport near Jacksonville, Florida, last week, stopping just dozens of feet from plunging into the water.
Footage circulating on X appears to show the drone perched on shoreline riprap beyond the departure end of the base's 8,001-foot Runway 05, narrowly avoiding a plunge into the St. Johns River.
The US Navy operates the Triton for maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, using the high-altitude, long-endurance drone to monitor vast stretches of ocean.
Northrop Grumman said in June 2025 that it had produced 20 Tritons for the US Navy. A single drone represents 5% of that production total. Any loss of the aircraft would be a significant loss for the fleet. That figure does not represent the current operational fleet, as those figures are unknown.
The Navy has not publicly explained what caused the drone to end up on the riprap. The footage suggests a possible runway overrun.
Tyler Durden Wed, 10/07/2026 - 06:55
Continue reading...
[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
