Fire Scout radar chosen

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Northrop Grumman chose Telephonics Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffon Corp., Long Island, N.Y., to provide a multimode maritime radar system for the Navy's MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. A $33 million contract was awarded to provide the development, production, integration and testing of nine radar systems. The new Telephonics RDR-1700B+ radar will give the MQ-8B Fire Scout wide-area search and long-range imaging capability to complement the capabilities of its current electro-optical infrared payload. The Navy put the company under contract to assess and select a radar system that would best match the MQ-8B Fire Scout's maritime operational requirements. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 01/08/13) Gulf Coast note: Fire Scouts are built in part in Moss Point, Miss.