Northrop Drone’s Development Cost to U.S. Navy Rises 25%

The cost to develop Northrop Grumman Corp’s reconnaissance drone for the U.S. Navy has increased by at least 25 percent, or $720 million, according to Navy estimates and congressional investigators.

As development costs have risen to at least $3.9 billion, the scheduled dates to begin production and then deployment of the Triton drone have each slipped by more than two years, according to a Senate committee.

The Senate Appropriations Committee said in its report on funding defense programs in fiscal 2015 that it “is concerned with the cost and schedule breaches over the past few years” and is “troubled by software development delays” for the 70-aircraft, $15.3 billion program.

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