
The U.S. Navy formally stood up its first squadron for the MQ-4C Triton unmanned surveillance plane during an Oct. 28 ceremony at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida.The creation of Unmanned Patrol Squadron (VUP)-19 "marks a new era for naval aviation," said Doug Shaffer, vice president of the Triton program for Northrop Grumman [NOC], the aircraft's manufacturer. "This squadron will play a key role in the Navy's worldwide maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting mission going forward."Pilots and sensor operators assigned…