Navy to get five more Fire Scout UAVs from Northrop Grumman
NewsApril 08, 2014
SAN DIEGO. Northrop Grumman engineers have been tasked to build five more U.S. Navy MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters. The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) enable ship commanders to extend ship intelligence-gathering capabilities well beyond the typical horizon.
The aircraft will complete assembly Northrop Grumman's Unmanned Systems Center in Moss Point, Miss. The Fire Scout MQ-8C is based on a larger helicopter airframe that extended greater range, endurance and payload capacity than the currently fielded MQ-8B Fire Scout variant.
Fire Scout uses its sophisticated on-board sensors to capture full-motion video, identify targets, and then distribute data in real time to various users. This enables ship-based commanders to maintain their awareness of a specified area or to keep an eye on a target of interest for extended periods of time. The MQ-8C can also remain on station for more than eight hours and supports long-duration missions.
Northrop Grumman officials say they expect the aircraft will be ready for operations by the end of the year. A total of 19 aircraft are under contract with the Navy.
