Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout
MQ-8 Fire Scout | |
---|---|
An MQ-8B Fire Scout completes first biofuel flight at Webster Field, September 2011 | |
Role | UAV helicopter |
Manufacturer | Northrop Grumman |
First flight | 2000 |
Introduction | 2009 (MQ-8B)[1] |
Retired | 2022[2] |
Status | Retired (RQ-8A, MQ-8B) |
Primary user | United States Navy |
Number built | 30 (MQ-8B)[1] |
Developed from | Schweizer 330 and 333
|
Variants | Sikorsky S-434 |
Developed into | Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout |
The Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout is an
In February 2018, 23 MQ-8Bs were in service with the U.S. Navy.[4] The MQ-8B was retired from service in October 2022.[2]
Design and development
RQ-8A
As the US Navy was withdrawing its
There were three finalists in the competition, which was designated "VTOL-UAV" or "VTUAV".
The initial prototype of the Fire Scout was piloted in initial tests, flying autonomously for the first time in January 2000. The
The Fire Scout was to be fitted with a sensor ball turret that carries electro-optic and infrared cameras, and a laser range finder. It was to be controlled over a data link derived from the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV, operating over a line of sight to a distance of 172 miles (280 km). The control system was to be fitted onto a ship, or could be carried on a Humvee light vehicle for US Marine service.
MQ-8B
Although progress on the project had been regarded as satisfactory, the Navy decided the Fire Scout didn't meet their needs after all, and cut funding for production in December 2001. However, the development program continued, and Northrop Grumman pitched a range of improved configurations to anyone who was interested. As it turned out, the U.S. Army was very interested, awarding a contract for seven improved RQ-8B evaluation machines in late 2003. In 2006, it was redesignated MQ-8B.
The MQ-8B features a four-blade main rotor, in contrast to the larger-diameter three-blade rotor of the RQ-8A, to reduce noise and improve lift capacity and performance. The four-blade rotor had already been evaluated on Fire Scout prototypes. They increase gross takeoff weight by 500 pounds (230 kg), to 3,150 pounds (1,430 kg) with payloads of up to 700 pounds (320 kg) for short-range missions. The MQ-8B is 23.95 feet (7.30 m) long, 6.2 feet (1.9 m) wide, and 9.71 feet (2.96 m) tall.[5]
The MQ-8B is fitted with stub wings which serve both an aerodynamic purpose as well as an armament carriage location. Weapons to be carried include
The MQ-8B is being modified[
In April 2006, production on the flight test airframes was initiated at Northrop Grumman's Unmanned Systems production plant in
The MQ-8B complements the manned aviation detachments onboard Air Capable ships and is deployed along with a MH-60R HSM detachment or a MH-60S HSC detachment. With the planned addition of radar, AIS, and weapons, the MQ-8B shall have many capabilities of the manned MH-60R. It will give air detachments greater flexibility in meeting mission demands, and will free manned aircraft.[citation needed]
On 23 September 2011, Naval Air Systems Command awarded Northrop Grumman a $17 million contract to outfit the MQ-8B with the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System laser-guided 70 mm rocket.[8] By August 2013, the MQ-8B had completed 11 of 12 APKWS launches, with testing to be completed "shortly."[9] By February 2016, the APKWS had been fielded on the MQ-8B.[10] Due to its limited payload, the MQ-8B carries three tube rocket launchers.[11]
On 30 December 2012, the Navy issued an urgent order to install RDR-1700 maritime surveillance radars on nine MQ-8Bs. The RDR-1700 is an
In 2017, the MQ-8B will receive a mine-detection sensor for use in littoral waters called the Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA). The COBRA is designed to detect naval mines at a safe distance from a
Operational history
In January 2006, an RQ-8A Fire Scout landed aboard the
A total of 24 MQ-8Bs are to be deployed on the Navy's littoral combat ships (LCS) from 2014 onwards.[9] The Fire Scout significantly contributes to the LCS's primary mission roles of anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare and mine warfare. The ship's modular nature is complemented by the Fire Scout's own modular mission payloads. Due to changes in the LCS development schedule, the Navy conducted the Fire Scout Operational Evaluation (OpEval) aboard the frigate McInerney.[21] On 10 December 2008, the Fire Scout first embarked aboard McInerney while in port for operational fit checks and ship integration testing.[22] The Navy conducted Technical Evaluation on the Fire Scout on McInerney in late 2008 and Operational Evaluation in mid 2009. The Fire Scout was to reach Initial Operating Capability soon after the evaluation.[23]
Flight tests of the Fire Scout took place in May 2009, these tests in areas of shipboard deck motion and wind envelope expansion and landings, including the use of the grid and harpoon system. During five days of testing, the ship/aircraft team compiled 19 flight hours during 12 flights, which included 54 landings, 37 of which were into the NATO standard grid.[clarification needed][22] In September 2009, the Navy announced the first deployment of the MQ-8B aboard McInerney.[24] On 3 April 2010, an MQ-8 from McInerney detected a speedboat and a support vessel engaged in smuggling cocaine in the Eastern Pacific, allowing the ship to confiscate 60 kg of cocaine and detain multiple suspects.[25]
On 2 August 2010, an MQ-8 became unresponsive to commands during testing and entered restricted airspace around Washington, D.C. They were able to re-establish communications and regain control of the aircraft.[26][27]
In May 2011, three MQ-8s were deployed to northern Afghanistan for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) purposes.
The U.S. Navy briefly grounded the MQ-8B after two aircraft crashed within a week. In the first incident, a Fire Scout reportedly crashed off the coast of Africa on 30 March after it was unable to land on the frigate Simpson following a surveillance mission. On 6 April 2012, another Fire Scout crashed in Afghanistan.[32] An investigation into the crash in Afghanistan determined the cause was a faulty navigation system. The cause of the crash near Simpson remained less clear, tougher maintenance procedures were put in place to prevent faulty aircraft from going on-mission. The Fire Scout was back flying over Afghanistan by May, and returned to sea-based ISR "anti-piracy" operations by August.[33]
On 1 December 2012,
In August 2013, the MQ-8B surpassed 5,000 flight hours in Afghanistan. In 28 months, Fire Scouts had accumulated 5,084 hours providing critical surveillance for U.S. and allied forces. Combined with testing and six at-sea deployments, the helicopter has over 10,000 flight hours supporting naval and ground forces.[37] In late 2013, the Fire Scout ended its Afghanistan deployment mission and were shipped back to the US. MQ-8Bs will still be deployed on Naval frigates, and be integrated onto LCS. The Navy also ordered the Telephonics AN/ZPY-4 radar to expand surveillance capabilities. Twelve radars, including three spares, will be delivered by December 2014. The Navy will buy a total of 96 MQ-8B/C Fire Scouts.[38]
From 25 April to 16 May 2014, the LCS Freedom conducted the future concept of operations (CONOPS) for manned and unmanned helicopters aboard littoral combat ships. Operations had the manned MH-60R working together with the unmanned MQ-8B. The demonstration included one MH-60R and one MQ-8B flying with the surface warfare (SUW) mission package installed, intended to provide fleet protection against small boats and asymmetric threats. The tests were to demonstrate manned and unmanned helicopter capabilities before their initial deployment together,[39] which set sail on 14 November 2014.[40]
On 5 December 2014, a Navy MQ-8B successfully flew off of the
On 16 October 2016, the LCS Coronado deployed to Singapore with two MQ-8B Fire Scouts, which for the first time had the Telephonics AN/ZPY-4(V)1 radar, giving them a beyond the horizon broad area search and track capability to track up to 200 targets with surface search, terrain mapping, emergency beacon detection, and weather avoidance modes.[42]
On 13 October 2018, Taiwan was reportedly cleared to purchase the MQ-8B variant, potentially making it the first export country.[43][44]
The U.S. Navy retired its fleet of MQ-8Bs in October 2022 after 13 years of service, replacing it with the larger MQ-8C.[2]
Variants
- RQ-8A
- RQ-8B
- MQ-8B
- Version has an 8-hour endurance with a 170 lb payload.[45]
- MQ-8C Fire-X/Fire Scout
- Improved variant using avionics from the MQ-8B with the larger Bell 407 airframe.
Former operators
- United States Navy – 168 initially planned,[46] reduced to 96 B- and C-models.[38]
Specifications (MQ-8B)
Data from Northrop Grumman,[47] NAVAIR[46]
General characteristics
- Crew: 0 (on-board)
- Capacity: 600 lb (272 kg)
- Length: 23 ft 11.4 in (7.3 m)
- Wingspan: 27 ft 6 in (8.4 m)
- Height: 9 ft 8.5 in (2.9 m)
- Empty weight: 2,073 lb (940.3 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 3,150 lb (1,430 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce 250, 420 hp (313 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 115 kn (132 mph, 213 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 110 kn (130 mph, 200 km/h)
- Combat range: 110 nmi (126.6 mi, 203.7 km) with 5+ hours on station
- Endurance: 8 hours (typical), 5 hours fully loaded[48]
- Service ceiling: 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
See also
Related development
- Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout
- Schweizer 330 and 333
- Schweizer S-434
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
This article contains material that originally came from the web article Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain.
- ^ a b c "Navy Is Sustaining 10 Operational MQ-8C Fire Scout UAVs; Rest in Storage". Seapower Magazine. 31 January 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023.
- ^ "Autonomous Fire Scout UAV Lands on Ship". Department of Defense. January 24, 2006. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
- ^ Navy Evaluates Man-Machine Pairing with New Fire Scout Archived 2018-03-05 at the Wayback Machine. National Defense Magazine. 27 February 2018.
- ^ "MQ-8B data sheet" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-04-20.
- ^ Army to end robotic vehicle, aircraft efforts TheHill.com
- ^ "Navy awards 3rd LRIP contract". Archived from the original on 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
- ^ Eshel, Noam. "Arming the Fire Scout – U.S. to Arm the MQ-8B with APKWS Guided Rockets." Archived 2011-11-12 at the Wayback Machine Defense Update, 9 November 2011.
- ^ a b Northrop close to completing Firescout weapon tests Archived 2013-08-18 at the Wayback Machine - Flightglobal.com, 14 August 2013
- ^ Fire Scout touted for Asia-Pacific export Archived 2016-02-16 at the Wayback Machine - Flightglobal.com, 15 February 2016
- ^ Weaponization of unmanned Fire Scout helicopter ‘on hiatus’ until 2023. Defense News. 9 April 2018.
- ^ Robochoppers Turned Into Maritime Recon Aircraft Archived 2013-01-20 at the Wayback Machine - Strategypage.com, January 18, 2013
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- ^ Surveillance Radar Selected for Unmanned MQ-8B Fire Scouts Archived 2013-10-06 at the Wayback Machine - Ainonline.com, 25 January 2013
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- ^ "Video of first autonomous naval landing of a UAV". Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
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- ^ Fire Scout Scores First-Ever Drug Bust with McInerney Archived 2010-04-12 at the Wayback Machine Navi.mil, 7 April 2010. Retrieved: 14 April 2010.
- ^ Bumiller, Elisabeth (August 25, 2010). "Navy Drone Wanders Into Restricted Airspace Around Washington". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 18, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
- ^ Quinn, Kristin (August 27, 2010). "Fire Scout Incident Called 'Learning Experience'". DefenseNews. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012.
- ^ Donald, David. "Fire Scout Proves Its Value in Middle East Warzones." Archived 2012-01-19 at the Wayback Machine The Convention News, 15 November 2011.
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- ^ "Libya conflict: Nato loses drone helicopter" Archived 2011-06-25 at the Wayback Machine. BBC, 21 June 2011.
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- ^ Robot Copter Clears Probation, Chases African Pirates Archived 2013-10-14 at the Wayback Machine - Wired.com, August 1, 2012
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- ^ Fire Scout unmanned helicopter, USS Robert G. Bradley set deployment record Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine - NAVAIR.Navy.mil, 3 April 2013
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- ^ MQ-8B Fire Scout Passes 5,000 Flight Hours Supporting Operations in Afghanistan Archived 2018-11-18 at the Wayback Machine - Northrop Grumman press release, 13 August 2013
- ^ a b Fire Scout ends Afghan mission; future includes new variant, LCS work Archived 2014-12-22 at the Wayback Machine - Militarytimes.com, August 16, 2013
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- ^ Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado Arrives in Singapore Archived 2016-10-19 at the Wayback Machine - News.USNI.org, 18 October 2016
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- ^ "Navy OK Kicks Off Fire Scout Upgrade (subscription article)". Aviation Week & Space Technology: 12. 7 May 2012.
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- ^ "RQ-8B Archived 2013-08-18 at the Wayback Machine" Military Factory, February 25, 2013. Accessed September 7, 2013.
External links
- MQ-8B Fire Scout page on northropgrumman.com Archived 2019-10-27 at the Wayback Machine
- Unmanned copter looks shipshape San Diego Union Tribune, January 19, 2006