MQ-8B Fire Scout to be tested early on an additional air-capable ship

Date: 20 February, 2008

The U.S. Navy has decided to integrate Northrop Grumman Corporation's MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) onto another air-capable ship before it reaches the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The Fire Scout is still slated to go aboard the LCS, and the Navy remains committed to transitioning the Fire Scout in that direction.

Due to changes in the LCS development schedule, the US Navy intends to conduct the Fire Scout Operational Evaluation (OpEval) aboard a ship that will be designated by the U.S. Fleet Forces Command within the next thirty days. This will provide the fleet with unmanned aerial system support as soon as possible.

According to the current schedule, the US Navy will conduct Technical Evaluation on the Fire Scout on the designated ship in autumn 2008 and OpEval in the summer 2009. The Fire Scout will reach Initial Operating Capability soon after OpEval in 2009. The Navy will continue to support LCS Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) efforts in fiscal year 2011.

"This is great news for the Navy and for the Fire Scout," said Doug Fronius, MQ-8B Fire Scout VTUAV program director for Northrop Grumman's Integrated System sector. "It's a win-win situation because the Fire Scout gets to progress through testing and initial operational capability. It will be ready to deploy on operational missions and will be ready when the LCS needs it."

Fire Scout is currently conducting envelope expansion, software validation, payload integration and data link testing at the Webster Field annex of Naval Station Patuxent River, Md.