14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, October 31, scientists and engineers with the Northrop Grumman Corporation and the US Navy conducted a flight test on the MQ-8C Fire Scout.
This machine is a very advanced fire scout helicopter, capable of providing important data streams to commanders both in the field and at HQ. The first flight test went on flawlessly, a Northrop press release announces.
The new UAV has twice the range of its previous version, the MQ-8B, as well as three times the payload capacity. It can remain airborne for as long as 12 hours, all while carrying around 2,600 pounds (1,180 kilograms) of payload. Other features include additional fuel tanks and an upgraded engine.
The flight test took place at Naval Base Ventura County, in Point Mugu, California. The MQ-8c Fire Scout unmanned helicopter is produced at the Northrop Grumman Unmanned Systems Center, in Moss Point, Mississippi.
“First flight is a critical step in maturing the MQ-8C Fire Scout endurance upgrade before using the system operationally next year,” says the Fire Scout program manager at the Naval Air Systems Command, Capt. Patrick Smith.