The Navy's sea-sweeping surveillance drone is on track to be delivered to the fleet in 2018, so the question now is, where will they live?
Two sites in Florida and one on Virginia's eastern shore are under consideration as bases for the MQ-4C Triton, which will work in tandem with manned P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft, according to Fleet Forces Command.
On Thursday, the public comment period will open on a draft environmental assessment for building storage and maintenance facilities at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, or NASA Wollops Flight Facility on Virginia's eastern shore.
"Under the proposed action, the Navy plans to establish a launch and recovery site for four home-based Triton UAS aircraft and support a consolidated maintenance hub for up to four additional aircraft undergoing maintenance actions (up to eight aircraft total)," according to the release.
The basing will also open up a permanent duty station for 400 deploying personnel and their families, FFC said in a Monday release.
Once the comment period is over, the Navy plans to release its final environmental assessment this fall, according to FFC spokesman Ted Brown.
Those three facilities were chosen based on their distance to operating areas, access to airspace, mission compatibility and existing local Navy support, he said.
Brown declined to speculate on whether one site is higher on the Navy's wishlist than another.
"The final basing decision will be made by the Secretary of the Navy or his designated representative," Brown added. "The preferred site is not identified in the Draft EA, and the Navy is currently evaluating the three basing locations."
Tritons are already slated to set up their West Coast home at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California, ahead of the UAS's first deployment in 2020.
Facility construction on both coasts is scheduled to begin next year, Brown said.
Complete details are available
and comments from citizens or public agencies must be submitted electronically or in writing by Oct. 1.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
