US Navy (Navy) for the first time unfolded an intelligence unmanned helicopter on board the ship. Northrop Grumman announced the first deployment of the drone MQ-8C Fire Scout. About it reports The Drive.
Unmanned helicopter from December is based on the Milwaukee coastal zone ship (LCS-5). The helicopter received Radar Leonardo An / ZPY-8 (Osprey) with an active phased antenna lattice (AFAR). This will allow the helicopter to perform exploration behind the radar horizon of the ship.
Fire Scout Fire Scout work has begun in 2000. The unmanned helicopter was developed as a replacement of the RQ-2 Pioneer drone. At the heart of the unmanned helicopter lies the design of the Civil Machine of Bell 407. Fire Scout can stay in the air to ten o’clock, and the range of helicopter flight exceeds 1000 nautical miles (1852 kilometers).
The publications note that Northrop Grumman also experienced Bell 407, which underlies the drone, as a carrier of torpedoes and hydroacoustic buoys.
Earlier, the Polish edition of Defence24 reported the main problem of Russian unmanned helicopters. The publications noted that in the Ministry of Defense of Russia there are no proper priorities.
In December, it became known about the development of an upgraded unmanned helicopter VM-B. The new version will be able to carry weapons.