Coronado begins MQ-8C underway operational testing
The US Navy’s USS Coronado Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) has begun underway operational testing of the MQ-8C Fire Scout UAS off the coast of San Diego.
The operations are a continuation of MQ-8C operational testing that began in April 2018. This phase of testing will evaluate the MQ-8C's ability to operate concurrently with other airborne assets and vessels to provide commanders an improved and integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance picture.
Coronado is one of four designated LCS testing ships. During Coronado's 2016-2017 deployment to the Western Pacific, the ship successfully used the MQ-8B Fire Scout as an organic sensor to strike a target beyond visual range using a Harpoon surface-to-surface missile.
LCS is a high-speed, agile, shallow draft, mission-focused surface combatant designed for operations in the littoral environment, and is fully capable of open ocean operations.
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