{"id":23214,"date":"2020-01-28T07:17:30","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T07:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/28\/germany-walks-away-from-25-billion-purchase-of-us-navys-triton-spy-drones\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:03:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:03:47","slug":"germany-walks-away-from-25-billion-purchase-of-us-navys-triton-spy-drones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/breaking-news\/2020\/01\/28\/germany-walks-away-from-25-billion-purchase-of-us-navys-triton-spy-drones\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany walks away from $2.5 billion purchase of US Navy\u2019s Triton spy drones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

COLOGNE, Germany \u2014 The German government has canceled plans to buy Northrop Grumman-made Triton drones to the tune of $2.5 billion, opting instead for manned planes carrying eavesdropping sensors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision to buy Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft comes after officials became convinced that the Global Hawk derivatives would be unable to meet the safety standards needed for flying through European airspace by 2025, a target date for Berlin\u2019s NATO obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A defense ministry spokeswoman told Defense News the Triton option had grown \u201csignificantly more expensive\u201d compared with earlier planning assumptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. State Department in April 2018 cleared Germany\u2019s request to purchase four MQ-4C Triton drones for signals intelligence missions under the country\u2019s PEGASUS program, short for \u201cPersistent German Airborne Surveillance System.\u201d The program includes a sensor, dubbed \u201cISIS-ZB\u201d and made by Hensoldt, for intercepting communications and locating targets by their electromagnetic signature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The German Defence Ministry for years had been banking on the Triton purchase to come with a pre-installed safety-technology package that would be easily approved by European air traffic authorities. But officials saw their hopes dashed as Italy recently issued a military-type certificate for a sister drone \u2014 NATO\u2019s Alliance Ground Surveillance fleet of Global Hawks, stationed in Sigonella, Sicily \u2014 that prescribes tight restrictions on flights over the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manned aircraft like the envisioned Global 6000 are allowed to routinely fly alongside civilian traffic, a prospect that the Germans see as more palatable than dealing with drone-specific airspace corridors.<\/p>\n\n\n\t