Fire Scout - Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Supports Government Flight Testing of the MQ-8C Fire Scout Radar

Fri, 08 May 2020 13:00:00 GMT

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – May 8, 2020 – The U.S. Navy, with support from Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), commenced flight testing of the MQ-8C Fire Scout equipped with the Leonardo AN/ZPY-8 radar.

Photo credit: U.S. Navy

“The AN/ZPY-8 radar significantly increases Fire Scout’s detection and tracking of targets. The ability to simultaneously employ multiple modes supports U.S. Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirements,” said Melissa Packwood, program manager, tactical autonomous systems, Northrop Grumman. “This increased capability enables Fire Scout to extend ranges to meet emerging requirements.”

Operating out of Webster Outlying Field, the MQ-8C’s first flight with the radar occurred Feb. 27. Testing began with several weeks of ground test prior to the first flight and continues to progress as the Navy and Northrop Grumman consider mission expansion opportunities for the platform.

To date, Northrop Grumman has delivered 32 of 38 MQ-8Cs to the Navy, all of which will be retrofit with the AN/ZPY-8 radar. The MQ-8C achieved initial operational capability in June 2019 and is scheduled for its first deployment in 2021.

Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services.

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Northrop Grumman Celebrates the Commissioning of USS Sioux City (LCS 11)

Alyssa Nolte — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 14:00:00 GMT

The latest addition to the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) fleet will be commissioned at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018.

LCS is a flexible, reconfigurable class of ship designed to patrol close to shore and has previously been forward deployed to provide maritime presence in Southeast Asia. Northrop Grumman has been a major supplier for both variants of the LCS ship, Freedom and Independence, since the first keel was laid in 2005.

The USS Sioux City is the 11th ship in the fast and versatile LCS class. As the mission package integrator through the Mission Module Design Engineering, Production and Sustainment program, Northrop Grumman is proud to support the commissioning as a “Captain Level” sponsor.

The USS Sioux City will be commissioned at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The LCS fleet is equipped with Northrop Grumman’s modular mission packages. (Photo Credit: Latrice Jackson, chief mass communication specialist, U.S. Navy)

“The commissioning of USS Sioux City marks the start of this ship’s service to the nation,” said Todd Leavitt, vice president, maritime systems, Northrop Grumman. “It is also an important occasion for us to honor the men and women of industry who built this vessel, as well as the servicemen and servicewomen who will operate this ship around the world. Northrop Grumman is committed to providing the U.S. Navy with the very best, from mission modules to mine countermeasures, bridge and navigation systems, ammunition and ordnance, autonomous airborne and underwater vehicles, training and sustainment services.”

Through its delivery of components for the Freedom and Independence-variant LCS vessels, Northrop Grumman has a long and proud 13-year partnership with the U.S. Navy Program Executive Office (PEO) Littoral Combat Ship, which was renamed PEO Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO-USC) this March.

The mission-enabling technologies featured on the LCS fleet include the Northrop Grumman LCS Modular Mission Package, Airborne LASER Mine Detection System (ALMDS), and Fire Scout UAS.

The modular mission package equips the ship with mission capabilities needed to perform mine countermeasures, surface warfare or anti-submarine warfare operations.

The ALMDS provides mine countermeasure support through LASER-based airborne mine identification and detection capabilities.

Fire Scout is the Navy’s newest autonomous helicopter, and the latest MQ-8C variant brings increased speed, endurance and payload capacity to maritime operations. Fire Scout directly supports the warfighter by enabling real-time intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition.

The bridge and navigation systems include the navigation radar, autopilot, Voyage Management System (VMS), electronic charts, navigation data distribution, inertial navigation, and global positioning and timing systems, plus other navigation sensors. VMS is the proven fleet standard for charting, and the inertial systems provide accurate position, velocity and attitude with and without GPS aiding.

Northrop Grumman also supports PEO-USC with the AQS-24B minehunter, which is a synthetic aperture SONAR towed by MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters and by Mine Hunting Unmanned Surface Vessels. The AQS-24B provides a high resolution side-looking SONAR for mine detection, localization and classification and also hosts a LASER-Line Scan system for mine identification.

Northrop Grumman is currently in production of the AQS-24C variant, which adds a Volume Mine Search capability. Northrop Grumman is also producing a launch and recovery payload for Mine Countermeasure (MCM) Unmanned Surface Vehicles, which will provide optional mine hunting capabilities for LCS using the AQS-24B/C minehunters.

Northrop Grumman’s LCS Mission Module Design Engineering, Production and Sustainment program is led from the company’s facility in Bethpage, New York. Bridge and navigation systems are designed and manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Charlottesville, Virginia. Fire Scout is produced in Moss Point, Mississippi. The USS Sioux City commissioning ceremony will take place on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy, which is nearby the Northrop Grumman Annapolis facility that produces the AQS-24B/C minehunters.

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Northrop Grumman Showcases Autonomous Maritime Capabilities at U.S. Navy’s Advanced Naval Technology Exercise

Wed, 19 Sep 2018 14:00:00 GMT

NEWPORT, R.I. – Sept. 19, 2018 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) in collaboration with industry partners participated in the U.S. Navy’s Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) last month in Newport, Rhode Island. The company demonstrated advanced capabilities in the command and control of future unmanned maritime missions and the ability to more effectively deliver critical information to the warfighter in contested environments.

Northrop Grumman’s Fire Scout autonomous surrogate launches a sonobuoy as part the 2018 Advanced Naval Training Exercise in Newport, Rhode Island.

“Northrop Grumman’s expertise in networked sensors and advanced mission management for autonomous aircraft systems provides significant offensive and defensive capabilities for our customers in the maritime environment,” said Dan Redman, ANTX program manager, Northrop Grumman. “By showcasing how sensors can be airdropped from a Fire Scout surrogate, we are demonstrating future mission applications for this platform.”

Northrop Grumman’s seabed warfare capabilities were also highlighted at this year’s exercise. A central part of this demonstration was Northrop Grumman’s µSAS and real-time automated target recognition technologies. The µSAS is a low size, weight and power, high-performance payload that can operate off a man-portable autonomous underwater vehicle for real-time classification of mine-like objects.

“This technology is an example of leveraging digital transformation to rapidly provide software defined, hardware enabled capabilities to the fleet,” said Alan Lytle, vice president, undersea systems, Northrop Grumman. “Integration of unmanned and autonomous capabilities into the battle space reduces staffing required to conduct operations and risk to personnel, while supporting our nation’s continued undersea superiority.”

Low-SWAP, Information Assurance/Anti-Tamper Enabled, High-Performance, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture SONAR for Micro-UUVs

The three-day annual exercise was developed to demonstrate future Navy technologies in a collaborative, low-risk environment. Government, academia and industry participants gathered to showcase new capabilities to push the boundaries of what is possible in a complex environment. Northrop Grumman was partnered in the exercise with Physical Optics Corp, Ultra Electronics USSI, Hydroid, Optimum Solutions and Silvus.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. Please visit news.northropgrumman.com and follow us on Twitter, @NGCNews, for more information.

Additional Notes for Defense Trade Reporters and Editors:

Northrop Grumman’s seabed warfare capabilities and multi-domain unmanned system integration were highlighted at the demonstration. These included advanced mission management, which enables centralized collaborative mission execution and control using multiple unmanned undersea vehicles (UUV) and unmanned surface vehicles as well as a Fire Scout surrogate unmanned aerial vehicle. The demonstration featured subsurface to above surface communications with cross-domain status, detection and tracking.

The exercise also highlighted the benefits of an open architecture approach, showcasing the ability to rapidly integrate multiple capabilities into a relevant mission scenario. Mission planning, control and monitoring will be achieved via a remote tactical operations center and from Northrop Grumman’s maritime operations center.

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Northrop Grumman Begins MQ-8C Fire Scout Flight Tests in Moss Point, Miss.

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 14:00:00 GMT

MOSS POINT, Miss. – Sept. 14, 2018 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) recently began flight tests for MQ-8C Fire Scout aircraft produced in Moss Point at the Trent Lott International Airport, a major milestone for the company and the region’s aerospace economy.

Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C Fire Scout takes off for its first flight out of Trent Lott International Airport in Moss Point, Miss.

Northrop Grumman’s Moss Point facility is key to producing and testing the MQ-8C Fire Scout, the U.S. Navy’s newest autonomous helicopter that is bringing increased speed, endurance and payload capacity to distributed maritime operations. The U.S. Navy recently completed initial operational test and evaluation aboard the USS Coronado (LCS 4) for the MQ-8C Fire Scout, which has over 1,500 program flight hours. The aircraft is a modified Bell 407 helicopter that is produced in Moss Point and supports quality manufacturing jobs in Mississippi.

“Building on Northrop Grumman’s recent announcement of new production capabilities in Moss Point and a 40 percent increase in employment at the site, the ability to now conduct MQ-8C Fire Scout flight tests where the production occurs will bring new efficiencies and effectiveness to our local operations and improve our ability to serve the U.S. Navy,” said Melissa Packwood, program director, Fire Scout, Northrop Grumman.

In June, elected officials joined local employees to cut the ribbon on the new machine shop section that delivers important capabilities at Northrop Grumman’s Moss Point manufacturing center. For more than a decade, Gulf Coast employees have manufactured rotary and fixed wing autonomous systems in Moss Point that support the U.S. and its global allies. Recent facility upgrades have allowed for new work on manned aircraft to come to the site, diversifying the portfolio of work and bringing new jobs to the region.

In April 2004, Northrop Grumman broke ground in Moss Point with site construction beginning in 2005. In April 2006, Northrop Grumman contributed to aerospace industry growth in southern Mississippi when the ribbon was cut on the 101,000 square-foot facility. The company celebrated its 10 year anniversary at the site in 2016 and recently extended its lease adjacent to Trent Lott International Airport through 2026.

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Northrop Grumman Expands Moss Point, Mississippi Facility, Announces New Manufacturing Jobs

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 18:30:00 GMT

MOSS POINT, Miss. – June 25, 2018 –Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), joined by Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant and members of Mississippi’s federal and state delegations, officially opened a new operational area of their Moss Point facility today and announced new manufacturing jobs for the region.

Kevin Mitchell, sector vice president, global operations, and Governor Phil Bryant (MS) cut the ribbon on a new operational area for Northrop Grumman’s Moss Point facility alongside Jackson County Board of Supervisors President Randy Bosarge, Moss Point Mayor Mario King, John Murnane, vice president, global operations, Northrop Grumman, State Rep. Jeramey Anderson, and State Senator Michael Watson.

Elected officials joined local employees to cut the ribbon on the new machine shop section that delivers important capabilities at Northrop Grumman’s Moss Point manufacturing center. For more than a decade, Gulf Coast employees have manufactured rotary and fixed wing autonomous systems in Moss Point that support the U.S. and its global allies. Recent facility upgrades have allowed for new work on manned aircraft to come to the site, diversifying the portfolio of work and bringing new jobs to the region.

“Northrop Grumman has expanded our operations in Moss Point and grown our aerospace workforce at the site by more than 40 percent since 2017 through partnerships with the Mississippi Development Authority, the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation, the Jackson County Board of Supervisors, and the Jackson County Port Authority,” said Kevin Mitchell, sector vice president, global operations, Northrop Grumman. “We greatly appreciate the strong support from state and local partners and our federal delegation.”

Last week, Northrop Grumman celebrated another important milestone in the state, with an event recognizing 50 years of supporting military customers and the Mississippi Gulf Coast community in Ocean Springs. Mississippi Lt Gov. Tate Reeves as well as local dignitaries and elected officials were on hand for the event recognizing Northrop Grumman’s Maritime Systems leadership in designing and developing combat management systems and electronic suites for over 50 ships in four major ship classes.

The Northrop Grumman facility at Ocean Springs, Mississippi, celebrates 50 years of designing and developing combat management systems and electronic suites for domestic and international customers.

“For five decades, Northrop Grumman’s presence in Mississippi has contributed to our worldwide presence and reputation in support of our warfighters and the defense of our nation and its allies,” said Northrop Grumman Ocean Springs Site Manager David Robertson. “I could not be more proud to lead the dedicated professionals at Northrop Grumman Maritime Systems in Ocean Springs.”

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. Please visit news.northropgrumman.com and follow us on Twitter, @NGCNews, for more information.

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Northrop Grumman-Built Fire Scouts Experience Pivotal Year

Wed, 06 Dec 2017 15:51:00 GMT

FALLS CHURCH, Va. - Dec.6, 2017 – Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) autonomous Fire Scout helicopters, the MQ-8B and MQ-8C, continued to strengthen the combat capability and lethality of the U.S. Navy’s air and surface warfare communities throughout 2017.

(MQ-8C Fire Scout. Photo by Northrop Grumman)

The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman enhanced Fire Scout’s capability, concepts of operations (CONOPS) and mission sets by demonstrating targeting capabilities at-sea, over land, teaming with manned assets, and integrating new technologies.

For the first time, Fire Scout’s manned/unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capabilities proved station-to-station hand offs of two Fire Scouts and the ability to stream organic intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting (ISR&T) data to an Amphibious Readiness Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit.

With a radar already integrated onto the MQ-8B, the U.S. Navy has also started integrating an active, electronically scanned array radar onto the MQ-8C. The addition of this advanced radar to the long range, longer endurance MQ-8C will greatly enhance any surface action group’s ability to strike at distance and increase situational awareness over broad maritime and littoral environments.

“2017 has been a pivotal year for Fire Scout,” said Capt. Jeff Dodge, U.S. Navy Fire Scout Program Manager. “Today, operational squadrons are deployed and more are preparing to deploy to meet the expanding needs of the U.S. Navy. The Fleet has only scratched the surface of Fire Scout’s true capabilities and the missions Fire Scout will perform. Fleet capability will only grow as the MQ-8C Fire Scout enters the operational force.”

“This was another strong year of performance for Fire Scout and the U.S. Navy” said Melissa Packwood, program director, Fire Scout, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. “Fire Scout is affordably delivering new mission capability and with an integrated radar on both variants, it is a versatile and powerful autonomous system for the maritime environment.”

Fire Scout 2017 milestones:

January through November – Two radar equipped MQ-8Bs were operationally deployed aboard the independence-class Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado (LCS-4). Operating in the 7th Fleet’s area of responsibility in 2017, the Fire Scout’s supported multiple bilateral and multilateral exercises with 16 partner nations. Fire Scout provided USS Coronado with an organic, persistent ISR&T capability- a critical enabling component of distributed maritime operations. Fire Scout’s over the horizon targeting also enabled the USS Coronado to showcase its strike capability in the surface warfare mission.

April - MQ-8C Fire Scout made its first flight from a U.S. Navy independence-class Littoral Combat Ship, USS Montgomery (LCS 8). The two week, at-sea event allowed the U.S. Navy to test the MQ-8C’s airworthiness and expand the aircraft’s operational envelope from an LCS.

May – U.S. Navy personnel successfully completed a two-part demonstration with two radar-equipped MQ-8B Fire Scouts. The demonstration proved Fire Scout’s ability to hand off controls from one mission control system to another as they operated between Naval Base Ventura County, California, and Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island, California. Fire Scout also proved the CONOPS for live streaming of ISR&T data to the amphibious assault ship, USS America (LHA 6) and embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit. The demo concluded with Fire Scout providing MUM-T laser-designation for a MH-60S Hellfire missile shot. Training and rehearsal for the demonstration was conducted on a Northrop Grumman Fire Scout simulator used for operator training.

August - A radar-equipped MQ-8B Fire Scout participated in a bilateral maritime exercise, Pacific Griffin, providing real-time targeting data to the independence-class Littoral Combat Ship, USS Coronado (LCS-4). The ship fired a Harpoon Block 1C missile, successfully hitting a surface target significantly beyond the ship’s visual range. Fire Scout’s expanding ISR&T capability is adding lethality to the U.S. Navy’s distributed maritime operations doctrine.

October – The Fire Scout payload, the AN/DVS-1 Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA), airborne mine detection system completed the first phase of its initial operational test and evaluation. The alternate Fire Scout sensor payload can detect beach zone mines in the daytime, provide reconnaissance for amphibious landing forces and provide precision navigation to amphibious vehicles coming ashore. This enhanced mission capability will enable the mine countermeasure variant of LCS to grow its mission capability.

December – For the first time, Helicopter Squadron (HSC 23) integrated a radar-equipped MQ-8B Fire Scout into a carrier air wing strike package with Naval Air Warfare Development Center at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada. The goal was to integrate Fire Scout organic ISR&T capability in a multi-level training environment to increase autonomous systems in a distributed maritime environment.

“Our mission engineering approach allows us to anticipate and solve some of the Fleet’s toughest problems with today’s MQ-8B Fire Scouts,” said Jack Thomas, mission engineering director, Fire Scout, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. “Meanwhile, MQ-8C’s increased capability will enable the U.S. Navy to address emerging threats with new capabilities like Link-16 for collaborative engagement with net-enabled weapons in the near future.”

Fire Scout’s noteworthy year of performance is a testament to the versatility and dynamic capability the autonomous system brings to the U.S. Navy. The Fire Scout system continues to perform in existing and new mission areas and will play an increasingly larger role for tactical maritime users in the coming year.

For more information on Fire Scout, visit: northropgrumman.com/firescout

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Northrop Grumman to Highlight Leading Global Security Capabilities at Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition 2017

Sun, 15 Oct 2017 22:00:00 GMT

Seoul ADEX 2017 to be held at Seoul Airport, Oct. 17-22

Northrop Grumman to exhibit in booth A61

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Oct. 15, 2017 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) will highlight its advanced global security capabilities at the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition 2017 (Seoul ADEX 2017) in South Korea.

A media kit accompanying this release is available at: http://www.northropgrumman.com/MediaResources/MediaKits/ADEX/

Dedicated to innovation and delivering a decisive advantage to modern warfighters, Northrop Grumman offers groundbreaking options for autonomous systems, C4ISR, logistics, and multi-generation fighter interoperability and communications. In addition to product displays, company representatives and subject matter experts will be available to engage the media on these topics.

Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk and Fire Scout aircraft provide a powerful combination of autonomous systems with the capacity to advance South Korea’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities while protecting regional interests and national security. Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk autonomous high altitude long endurance system supports intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and environmental research operations around the globe. The MQ-8C Fire Scout is the Navy’s next generation autonomous helicopter. Fire Scout has the ability to take-off and land on any aviation-capable ship and from prepared and unprepared landing zones. Fire Scout is actively deployed with the United States Navy providing enhanced maritime surveillance and persistent targeting capabilities.

The company provides superior C4ISR capability, battlefield awareness and situational understanding through manned and unmanned platforms integrated by new, open architecture C4 systems, including Integrated Battle Management Systems (IBMS) and Remote Unmanned Ground Vehicles like Andros FX. IBMS are scalable from strategic to tactical, while supporting communications with joint and coalition forces. The Andros FX provides unmatched capabilities to defeat many threats, including vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.

Northrop Grumman’s logistics sustainment and modernization solutions improve lifecycle affordability and have the potential to increase mission readiness for the Republic of Korea. Options include: UH-60 Black Hawk rotary wing avionics upgrades / Improved Multiple Ejector Rack and C-130 Infrared Countermeasure (IRCM) upgrades. Northrop Grumman is the premiere digital cockpit supplier and integrator for UH-60V upgrade programs, which extend life and mission capabilities. The IRCM system equips C-130 aircraft with the ability to detect and defeat heat-seeking missiles, including surface-to-air missiles.

The company provides airborne gateways for enhanced communications and greater situational awareness, with products like the Freedom 550^TM software-defined radio and APG-81 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. The Freedom 550 bridges the gap between multiple platforms using different data links, allowing fifth-generation aircraft to share tactical data securely with each other and with fourth-generation aircraft in the fleet. The APG-81 AESA radar enables pilots to effectively engage air and ground targets at long range, while also providing outstanding situational awareness for enhanced survivability and combat effectiveness.

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Northrop Grumman to Feature Global Security Advances at Pacific 2017 in Sydney, Australia

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 21:00:00 GMT

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Oct. 1, 2017 — Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) will highlight its advanced global security capabilities at the Pacific International Maritime Exposition 2017, Oct. 3-5 in Sydney, Australia.

A media kit accompanying this release is available at: http://www.northropgrumman.com/MediaResources/MediaKits/Pacific/

Committed to assisting the fully-integrated joint Australian Defence Force, Northrop Grumman's portfolio of advanced maritime systems operates across the full spectrum of modern naval operations, including maritime domain awareness, C4ISR, resilient networked operations, broad area surveillance, unmanned aircraft systems for maritime and coastal surveillance, radar and mine detection systems, and precision marine navigation. In addition to product displays, company representatives and subject matter experts will be available to engage the media on these topics.

"Northrop Grumman is providing innovative solutions for Australia’s defence and national security needs now and in the future," said Ian Irving, chief executive, Northrop Grumman Australia. "Northrop Grumman continues to invest in local capabilities as part of our commitment to growing indigenous Australian skills and capabilities.”

Northrop Grumman's unmanned mine detection, classification and identification will be displayed at the show, including a full-scale model of the AQS-24B high-speed synthetic aperture sonar-based mine-hunting system. The AQS-24B and its predecessor systems, the AQS-24A and the AQS-14, are the only operational high-speed mine-hunting search systems used by the U.S. Navy for the past 33 years.

The company will also demonstrate its advanced command-and-control capability that leverages fifth-generation sensors, data links, networks and decades of experience pioneering interoperable systems to provide joint and coalition forces with an integrated 'common operational picture.' The greater ability to collect, integrate and disperse these intelligence products is driving a global trend toward a more information intensive style of warfare, and the adoption of a network centric concept of operations by many advanced armed forces, including the Australian Defence Force.

Northrop Grumman's airborne surveillance capability will also be presented. The MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system can provide a continuous on-station presence for some of the nation’s most demanding surveillance missions. The Australian Government plans to acquire the Triton capability.

The MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter uses a larger airframe than the previous MQ-8B variant to deliver more range, payload capacity and endurance to naval forces. Fire Scout can land and take off from any aviation-capable naval ship. Fire Scout has been actively deployed by the United States Navy to enhance its maritime surveillance and patrol capabilities and could provide a substantial increase in capability for the Royal Australian Navy and other regional partners.

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MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system

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Northrop Grumman Helps Fire Scout Squadron Make History

T.J. Ortega — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 17:37:00 GMT

Northrop Grumman Fire Scout instructors helped an elite detachment of Fire Scout Air Vehicle Operators (AVO) from the U.S. Navy’s Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 train and rehearse for a historic two-part demonstration. The AVOs trained for a...

Australia’s Autonomous Evolution

Geri MacDonald — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 19:23:00 GMT

As technology advances the world is rapidly evolving. Technological barriers are being smashed, opening the way to vastly improved global defense and security capabilities. All without a person in the cockpit. As autonomous programs such as the...

Northrop Grumman to Build Additional MQ-8C Fire Scouts to meet US Navy’s need for Persistent ISR

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 13:00:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO – Sept. 29, 2016 –Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is set to build 10 additional MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters for the U. S. Navy, giving maritime commanders persistent, real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

MQ-8C Fire Scout’s on the assembly line at Northrop Grumman’s Manufacturing Center in Moss Point, Mississippi. (Photo by Northrop Grumman)

The additional build will bring the total number of MQ-8C Fire Scout air vehicles procured to 29, extending the range and endurance of naval operations.

“MQ-8C is meeting all of its performance objectives, and the system is delivering a greater naval warfighting capability,” said Capt. Jeff Dodge, program manager, Fire Scout, Naval Air Systems Command. “We are looking forward to moving the MQ-8C operational testing and deployment as a part of surface warfare mission packages.”

The MQ-8C Fire Scout airframe is based on the reliable commercial Bell 407, a mature helicopter with more than 1,600 airframes produced and over 4.4 million flight hours. Modifications to the MQ-8C's airframes are carried out at the Bell Helicopter facility in Ozark, Alabama, while final assembly is performed in Moss Point, Mississippi.

“In partnership with the U.S. Navy, we are dedicated to fielding this state-of-the-art, ship-based ISR platform as part of a strategy that provides warfighters ISR,” said Leslie Smith, vice president, tactical autonomous systems, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. “We are pleased to support the Navy with additional MQ-8C Fire Scouts with maritime dominance support through this procurement. Our team will strive to exceed expectations in affordability, quality and on-time delivery.”

MQ-8C Fire Scout has completed operational assessment, a developmental flight test program and is now preparing for Milestone C. MQ-8C Fire Scout has accrued over 730 flight hours and flown 353 sorties.

For more information on the MQ-8C Fire Scout, visit: www.northropgrumman.com/firescout

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MQ-8C Fire Scout Concludes Operational Assessment

Tue, 01 Dec 2015 19:30:00 GMT

POINT MUGU, Calif., Dec. 1, 2015 -- The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) completed a successful land-based operational assessment (OA) with the unmanned, autonomous helicopter MQ-8C Fire Scout, at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, Nov. 20. The OA demonstrated the endurance and sensor integration capabilities on the new MQ-8C airframe.

The Fire Scout collected real time data points during OA flights to validate system performance parameters and assess risk to future operational testing. The Navy's Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-1 performed all of the flights over three weeks culminating in 83.4 hours of flight and 72 data points.

"MQ-8C represents a significant capability improvement to the Fleet," said Capt. Jeff Dodge, program manager, Fire Scout, Naval Air Systems Command. "Testing has shown the system is meeting or exceeding our goals and the completion of this test event represents a major step on the road to Fleet introduction."

Northrop Grumman engineers' hard work in developing the MQ-8C ensured that all aircraft systems successfully met VX-1 flight requirements. MQ-8C sensors and systems were vigorously tested at different altitudes and ranges to validate operational effectiveness. Successful integration of an improved ice detector system was also validated during OA with an alert to the test team of icing during a flight. This system allowed for necessary altitude corrections by descending the helicopter until the indication cleared so that the mission could resume its target detection runs.

"The completion of land-based OA is once again validation of the incredible performance the Fire Scout system is capable of," said Leslie Smith, Fire Scout program director, Northrop Grumman. "As demonstrated in the test, Fire Scout's multi-INT capability and endurance, coupled with outstanding reliability are changing the way intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems are measured; we have significantly raised the bar."

MQ-8C Fire Scout completed the developmental flight tests program earlier this year and now the program will prepare for milestone "C" next year. The MQ-8C Fire Scout has accumulated over 730 flight hours and flown 353 sorties.

For more information on the MQ-8C Fire Scout, visit: http://bit.ly/16K1F4m

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

  CONTACT: T. J. Ortega
         858-618-7648 (office)
         858-204-6241 (mobile)
         timothy.ortega@ngc.com

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Photo Release -- U.S. Navy Demonstrates Endurance on the MQ-8C Fire Scout

Tue, 25 Aug 2015 12:00:00 GMT

Unmanned helicopter providing unprecedented maritime multiple intelligence persistence

POINT MUGU, Calif. â Aug. 25, 2015 â Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and the U.S. Navy successfully demonstrated endurance capabilities with the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. On a planned 10+ hour flight and range out to 150 nautical miles flight from Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu; the MQ-8C Fire Scout achieved 11 hours with over an hour of fuel in reserve.

The long range, long endurance flight was part of a series of capability based tests used by the Navy to validate their concept of operations and previously tested performance parameters. The Navy conducted the demonstration with support of Northrop Grumman engineers.

"Endurance flights provide a full evaluation of the MQ-8C Fire Scout systems," said Capt. Jeff Dodge, program manager, Fire Scout, Naval Air Systems Command. "We can better understand the capability of the system and look at crew tasks and interactions in a controlled environment. This will allow us to adjust operational procedures to maximize the system's effectiveness."

This is a new flight record set for the MQ-8 Fire Scout; a system designed to provide persistent reconnaissance, situational awareness, and precision targeting support for ground, air and sea forces.

"Today's MQ-8C Fire Scout performance matches our model exactly. With adjustments, our production aircraft will have 12 hours of total endurance on a standard day. This prolonged endurance gives the Navy's commanders a tremendous operational advantage," said George Vardoulakis, vice president, medium range tactical systems, Northrop Grumman. "Increased time-on-station and fewer launch and recovery cycles better enables the Navy's diverse missions."

The MQ-8C Fire Scout completed its developmental flight test program earlier this year and has operational assessment planned for later this year. The MQ-8C Fire Scout has accumulated over 513 flight hours and flown 353 sorties.

For more information on the MQ-8C Fire Scout, visit: http://bit.ly/16K1F4m

  CONTACT: T. J. Ortega
         858-618-7648 (office)
         858-204-6241 (mobile)
         timothy.ortega@ngc.com

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