Navy to Receive 10 Fire Scouts from Northrop Grumman
Thanks to a $108.1 million contract, Northrop Grumman will provide the U.S. Navy with 10 more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance unmanned helicopters. The Fire Scout MQ-8C systems are capable of operating from land or aircraft-capable ships.
Tasked with missions such as target acquisition, laser designation and battle management, the 34.7-foot-long, fixed-rotor UAS have been undergoing a series of tests over the last year or so, and earlier this year, the UAS set an endurance record, as it flew more than 10 hours and 150 nautical miles.
“The C model will greatly impact how we monitor, understand and control the sea and airspace around small surface combatants,” said Naval Air Systems Command’s program manager for Fire Scout, Capt. Jeff Dodge, in an article with Defense Systems.
The UAS is a larger version of Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8B UAS. The MQ-8B has been used in Afghanistan and has also been used in conjunction with the manned MH-60 Seahawk helicopter in ship-based operations. The MQ-8C has a larger payload capacity than its predecessor, and because of its wider range and capacity, there will not be the need for as many UAS in operation.
The MQ-8C will begin testing on ships at the beginning of the next fiscal year.
