Friday, August 19, 2011

Fire Scout with a bite coming soon

The MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter may soon head to sea with air-to-surface missiles. The Navy's drone helicopter, which recently finished its second deployment, will start carrying either Raytheon Griffin or BAE Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, two small missiles that would give an aircraft designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance some teeth. Capt. Patrick Smith, Fire Scout program manager, said at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference that Northrop Grumman is working to integrate a Griffin onto the UAV and will likely demonstrate the system later this month. (Source: Navy Times, 08/18/11) Gulf Coast note: Fire Scouts are made in part in Moss Point, Miss.