US Navy to arm Fire Scout UAV
Northrop Grumman has revealed details on the US Navy’s plan to outfit the MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter with a weapons system.
According to a company statement issued on 9 November, the Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) laser-guided 70mm rocket will be fitted to the UAV enabling the navy to ‘locate and prosecute targets of interest’.
The APKWS laser-guided 70mm rocket has been in production for the navy since 2010. According to the company, Northrop Grumman will develop and deliver the equipment needed to control the weapons system under a $17 million contract awarded to the company 23 September by Naval Air Systems Command. Final delivery of an operational system is expected by March 2013.
The armed Fore Scout will enable ship commanders to identify and engage hostile targets without calling in other aircraft for support, in order to ‘shorten the kill chain’ and lessen the ‘need to put our soldiers in harm’s way’, George Vardoulakis, Northrop Grumman's vice president for tactical unmanned systems said.
Northrop Grumman says that once delivered, Fire Scout will be Navy's first sea-based unmanned system to carry weapons. Its ability to operate at low ground speeds makes it particularly well suited for supporting littoral missions such as drug interdiction, antipiracy actions, search and rescue, reconnaissance and port security.
Fire Scout features a modular architecture that accommodates a variety of electro-optical, infrared and communications payloads. These payloads provide ground- and ship-based commanders with high levels of situational awareness and precision targeting support.
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
First flights of Rattler Supersonic Target prove successful
The US Department of Defense (DoD), along with QinetiQ, successfully conducted the first flights of the Rattler Supersonic Target MkI marking a significant advance in supersonic target technology.
-
Dedrone supplies CUAS systems to Ukraine and increases signal library
Dedrone has announced a strategic expansion via 16 new governmental contracts as the US-based CUAS company continued to develop its drone countermeasure technologies.
-
Baykar’s Akıncı UCAV completes live firing trials over the Black Sea
The Turkish company’s advanced unmanned combat aerial vehicle demonstrated its capabilities during successful live firing trials.
-
Iranian UAV threat leaves Israel’s defence industry searching for answers
Iran has continued to invest heavily in its drone-building capacity, supplying Russia and Iranian proxies throughout the Middle East, leading defence experts in Israel to call for more defensive solutions be developed to deter the threat from UAVs.
-
Emgepron and Tidewise team up to develop first ‘made-in-Brazil’ USV
Brazil's Emgepron and Tidewise have partnered to construct the Suppressor unmanned surface vessel by 2025 amid potential interest from the Brazilian Navy.
-
Autonomous navigation drives UUVs proliferation in the Indo-Pacific
The US Department of Defence has teamed up with Anduril Industries to develop advanced AI-driven long-range uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs), countering China’s escalating UUV advancements.