An MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle, top, conducts laser designation of an AGM-114 Hellfire missile for an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter attached to the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6) off the coast of San Clemente Island. US Navy Photo
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Navy’s rotary wing community is at a crossroads where the promise of unmanned systems intersects with the limits of piloted aircraft.
An MQ-8C Fire Scout helicopter sits on the deck of Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS-8). US Navy Photo
The Navy’s MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicles will receive a new radar and datalink to set the UAV up as a forward spotter for the Navy’s surface fleet.
MQ-8C Fire Scout returns from a test mission on the Point Mugu Sea Range in Point Mugu, Calif. US Navy Photo
As the Navy pursues a new anti-ship weapon for its Littoral Combat Ships, Northrop Grumman is pitching its MQ-8C Fire Scout to help the crew find their targets hundreds of miles away. Read More
USCGC Stratton off Annapolis, MD, Oct. 31, 2011. Stratton is the third Legend-class ships in the Coast Guard’s new line of technologically advanced cutters. DoD photo
The U.S. Coast Guard is considering fielding a small unmanned aerial vehicle on its Legend-class National Security Cutters, according to a draft request for proposal that was posted this week on FedBizOpps. Read More
The X-47B on the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) on Nov. 10, 2013. US Navy Photo
CAPITOL HILL – The Navy is sticking to its plans to field an unmanned MQ-XX Stingray platform with just tanking and surveillance capabilities to start with, while the Marine Corps is experimenting with the MQ-8C Fire Scout to help inform its path forward for amphibious assault ship-based unmanned aviation, officials said Wednesday. Read More
