USN grounds Fire Scout
The US Navy has grounded its MQ-8B Fire Scout fleet following two recent incidents, it has been announced.
According to the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), based at Patuxent River, Maryland, the navy has ‘temporarily suspended Fire Scout flight operations for 14 air vehicles in inventory while system performance and operational procedures are reviewed’.
The decision follows two ‘operational mishaps’ that the navy said were ‘unrelated’. On 30th March, a Fire Scout operating from USS Simpson (FFG-56) was ditched at sea after failing to be return from a surveillance mission in West Africa. According to NAVAIR, the Fire Scout failed
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