Navy Releases Draft Environmental Assessment for East Coast Home Basing of MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System

This week the Navy will release a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the establishment of facilities and functions to support the East Coast home basing and maintenance of the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (Triton UAS) at one of three locations: Naval Air Station Key West in Florida; Naval Station Mayport in Florida; and National Aeronautics and Space Administration Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

The Draft EA will be released on Thursday, September 1, and it will be available for public review and comment from September 1, 2016 through October 1, 2016. Comments may be submitted in writing to: Navy MQ-4C Triton UAS Home Basing Project Manager, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic, Attn: Code EV21JB, 6506 Hampton Boulevard, Norfolk, VA 23508. Comments must be postmarked by October 1, 2016. Comments will also be accepted electronically beginning September 1 at the following link: http://www.public.navy.mil/usff/environmental/Pages/public-comments.aspx.

Comments received from the public and federal, state and local agencies will be considered in the Final EA, which will be released to the public sometime this fall. The Draft EA will be available at the following link: http://www.public.navy.mil/usff/environmental/Pages/NEPAprojects.aspx. A printed copy and an electronic copy of the Draft EA for public review have also been placed in the following libraries:

  • Monroe County Public Library, 700 Fleming Street, Key West, FL 33040
  • Florida Keys Community College Library, 5901 College Road, Key West, FL 33040
  • Beaches Library, 600 3rd Street, Neptune Beach, FL 32266
  • Main Library, 303 N. Laura Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202
  • Public Library, 25 N. 4th Street, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
  • Wallops Flight Facility Visitor’s Center, Building J20, VA-175, Wallops Island, VA 23337
  • Eastern Shore Public Library, 23610 Front Street, Accomac, VA 23301
  • Chincoteague Island Library, 4077 Main Street, Chincoteague Island, VA 23336
  • Pocomoke Public Library, 301 Market Street, Pocomoke City, MD 21851

The Proposed Action would provide facilities and functions to operate and maintain the Triton UAS on the East Coast. The Triton UAS is an unmanned, unarmed, remotely controlled aircraft employed to enhance maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities as part of the Navy’s Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force. 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). The East Coast home base location would be a permanent duty station for up to 400 personnel plus family members, and support rotational deployments of personnel and aircraft outside the continental United States. Military construction projects in support of the home basing would begin in fiscal year 2017.

TRITON EA-2-2-2-2

The Triton UAS is a multiple-sensor unmanned aircraft that is about 48 feet long with a wingspan of about 131 feet. Triton UAS will conduct operations over water, with most operations occurring over international waters 12 miles or more offshore. The mission of the Triton UAS is to provide persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data collection to the fleet, providing both tactical and strategic mission capabilities.

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