Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) completed the first three MQ-8B Fire Scout production deliveries to the U.S. Navy, which completes the first year of Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) for the Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicle (VTUAV) program.

Two of the three Fire Scouts were deployed aboard the USS McInerney for use on a scheduled operational deployment to complete a Fire Scout Military Utility Assessment (MUA).

Prior to the current deployment, Fire Scouts have been aboard the USS McInerney four times since December 2008, completing 110 ship takeoffs and landings and 45 landings with the harpoon grid, accumulating over 47 hours of flight time.

"Fire Scout's performance aboard the USS McInerney has continued to provide us with invaluable operational insight and enhance our ability to support the U.S. Navy," said George Vardoulakis, vice president of Tactical Unmanned Systems for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. "And we are excited about the opportunity to work alongside the sailors of the USS McInerney for Fire Scout's first operational deployment."

Northrop Grumman tests unmanned helicopter in desert

Northrop Grumman and industry partners Tuesday completed a series of flight demonstrations of the MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter in the United Arab Emirates under extreme environmental conditions.
The test flights over 10 days included takeoffs and landings in in temperatures as high as 117 degrees Fahrenheit, with windy and sandy conditions. It flew as high as 9,842 feet and conducted non-line-of-sight operations that showcased its ability to operate autonomously in remote locations, Northrop Grumman said in a news release.
The tests "validated Fire Scout's steady system maturation and helped signal its readiness for the U.S. Navy's upcoming Operational Evaluation of the system, planned for late 2010 aboard the USS Halyburton," Northrop said.
"The capabilities that Fire Scout delivers to warfighters really stood out today," Duke Dufresne, sector vice president and general manager for the strike and surveillance systems division of Northrop Grumman's aerospace systems sector, said in the release. "It's clear from this demonstration that Fire Scout can do exactly what it's designed to do: extend the range at which we can gather crucial information during peacekeeping or wartime missions."

India Expresses Interest In Fire Scout Sale

NEW DELHI — India is planning to issue a letter of request to the U.S. government for a U.S. foreign military sale (FMS) of Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical takeoff unmanned aerial system (VTUAS).
The Indian government is expected to send a request via the U.S. Embassy for FMS clearance, as “the technology is not for release,” an Indian navy official says. Northrop has made presentations on the system over the past few years to the Indian navy and army.
With homegrown insurgency a big concern in India, interest has emerged for the Airborne Standoff Minefield Detection System (Astamids), which has been demonstrated on Fire Scout.
“The insurgents lay mines to be remotely triggered four inches below the roads in the Eastern states of India,” an army official says. “The algorithms to locate IEDs [improvised explosive devices] through processing Astamids imagery will prove a boon to the paramilitary forces having to cope with this problem.”
The sensor’s primary function is to detect minefields in support of mobile ground forces in day and night conditions. It uses quad-prism aperture-splitting technology with the aid of an integrated illuminator and target laser rangefinder and designator. The 75-lb. electro-optical infrared/multi-spectral imaging payload can detect surface-emplaced and recently buried patterned mines, as well as randomly scattered mines. The payload also can be expanded to detect obstacles, combat vehicles, camouflaged objects and other combat targets.
With the support of the U.S. Navy, Northrop and its industry partners completed a set of Fire Scout flight demonstrations in the United Arab Emirates on July 14. The demonstrations included numerous takeoffs and landings in hot, windy and sandy conditions in temperatures as high as 47 deg. C (117 degrees F). The VTUAS also conducted various test flights at altitudes up to 3,000 meters (9,800 ft.). These demonstration missions included non-line-of-sight operations that showcased Fire Scout’s ability to operate autonomously in remote locations, and its FLIR Systems electro-optical/infrared sensing capabilities used to locate and acquire targets, according to a statement. The flights also demonstrated the vehicle’s real-time imagery-transmission capability.
Based on a Schweizer Aircraft commercial helicopter airframe, the Fire Scout incorporates reliable turbine power (160 million flight hours) using standard NATO heavy fuel.
Meanwhile, the Indian government’s decision to convert its Alouette III light utility helicopters — known in India as the Chetak helicopter — into UAVs is in abeyance for the moment. A year and a half ago, there was a plan for the Chetak to be fitted with the sensor suite of the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron UAV and an IAI-developed, bolt-on flight control package.
Chetak has been primarily in service with the Indian air force in training, light transport, casualty evacuation, communications and liaison roles.