Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout

History

Northrop Grumman's MQ-8 is classified as a "tactical drone" and - unlike other drones in service today - more like a traditional helicopter in form and function, rather than fixed-wing aircraft. As a rotor design, the MQ-8 can take off and land vertically from virtually any terrain type, and hover in the air for extended periods of time - capabilities no other drone class can provide. The system is designed to provide real-time reconnaissance, surveillance of enemy movement, assessment of combat damage, direct targeting of enemy personnel/vehicles, and general intelligence gathering.

Its aerial characteristics gave ground commanders (from company level to small units) the necessary "eyes in the sky" to make a real difference in battle - and provided the over-the-horizon (over-the-horizon) of manned reconnaissance balloons in the world wars. OTH) vantage point I am no different 1.

The RQ-8/MQ-8 stemmed from the US Navy's need to replace its obsolete and retired RQ-2 Pioneer fixed-wing unmanned aerial system. As the use of drones across the U.S. military begins to increaseespecially in the U.S.

Navy doctrinethe need for new multi-role unmanned aerial systems also increases. As a result, the Navy has specified a modern drone design with a range of up to 125 miles, a mission duration of at least three hours, and a payload of up to 200 pounds.

In addition, as a USN aircraft, the UAV should also have the ability to be launched and recovered at sea from the decks of existing USN surface ships.

Several U.S. companies submitted proposals, and Schweizer Aircraft won with its modified version of the Schweizer 330 commercial light utility helicopter. This choice is not without merit, as the system has proven itself and can represent a cost-effective approach for USN, capable of extending the Schweizer design as needed and relying on off-the-shelf parts and proven functionality. Power will be provided by a Rolls-Royce 250 engine that turns the three-blade main rotor assembly.

Of course, the new design was heavily modified as an unmanned drone, and from there it was officially named the "RQ-8 Fire Scout." The first flight of the RQ-8 was recorded in January 2000, with the first models simply referred to as "RQ-8A", with Northrop Grumman as the prime contractor (Northrop Grumman provided the The most important data link function, which is based on the use in the RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV).

Although the RQ-8A was promising, it did not meet the needs of the US Navy. While the U.S. Navy's interest in the product waned, the U.S.

Army's interest in the program increased, and with some additional design changes, the evolution of the program in 2003 resulted in the improved "RQ-8B." The system was subsequently renamed "MQ-8B" in 2006. The RQ-8B evaluation model features modular mission pack capabilitieseven capable of mounting ordnanceas well as increased/improved specifications for the four-blade main rotor assembly. The U.S.

Army then commissioned several evaluation vehicles to test the viability of the system on the battlefield. With the introduction of the updated MQ-8B platform, the U.S. Navy has rekindled interest and has procured its own evaluation vehicle. With the US Navy Fire Scouts then became "Sea Scouts" and interestingly the US Army decided not to pursue Fire Scouts after the evaluation period - realizing their RQ-7 UAV shadow line was sufficient for their concerns.

The need for drones on the battlefield.

In terms of design, the RQ-8/MQ-8 series largely follows the look of modern helicopters. The body is well contoured with a curved nose cone assembly to accommodate the required optics kit. The optical assembly hangs below the nose for unobstructed observation of the terrain ahead, and the camera features a round, bubble-like protrusion, and its inherent design is completely modular. The optics kit currently includes the Star SAFIRE III EO/IR/LRF camera package, US Navy baseline EO/IR/LRF camera package, mine detection system, UHF/VHF communications relay kit and maritime radar system.

The fuselage is well constructed, supporting the mast housing of the main rotor assembly while housing all major internal working components required for mission success. Avionics are stored in a shielded compartment at the rear of the nose assembly, which also houses the UCARS antenna assembly.

The common data link tactical antenna array is located above and forward of the nose of the mast assembly. The mast assembly contains the fuel supply required by the engines and flight control actuators.

Extending from the rear of the fuselage is a cantilever assembly that drives a shaft that drives the tail rotor, which is normally biased to the port side of the aircraft to counteract the inherent torque of the main rotor. A UHF/VHF antenna is located on the dorsal section of the tail boom, just behind the rotor mast housing.

Another UHF/VHF bracket is mounted ventral to the center of the tail boom. The third UHF/VHF antenna is located at the very top of the vertical stabilizer. Two small GPS dorsal antennas are mounted in the center of the boom.

The tail is covered by a vertical fin that extends above and below the tapered rear end of the boom, while the upper fin also features a pair of small horizontal fins. The bottom of the drone's hull is designed to be flat, while the chassis has a conventional arrangement of slides, attached to the hull at four reinforcement points. Upgraded MQ-8 models can be equipped with optional side pylons for carrying equipment pods or ordnance, further extending the vehicle's combat range.

All told, the MQ-8 can carry over 600 pounds of equipment or weapons.

Overall specs include 30ft barrel length and 27.5ft rotor diameter. The height at the top of the rear antenna is 9.7 feet. The MQ-8 is powered by a Rolls-Royce 250-C20W turboshaft engine.

While the basic mission duration is 8 hours, a fully loaded MQ-8 (corresponding to its maximum available payload) is just over 5 hours.

Like other next-generation drones, the MQ-8 operates autonomously, meaning it can fly itself according to the programming available. The system can take off, fly and land automatically when needed, although there is a built-in manual override feature. In addition, the mission parameters of the UAV can be updated on the fly without the need for landing and overhauling the aircraft. The MQ-8 airframe can reach speeds of up to 125 knots and altitudes of up to 20,000 feet, 200 kilometers from the launch point. The entire MQ-8 kit is designed to be highly modular and can be used with current and future planned systems.

There is an integrated electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) laser rangefinder/indicator/illuminator as standard, as well as a voice/data communications relay kit. Target designation allows the MQ-8 to fire laser targets for escorting attack aircraft (attack aircraft or helicopters), while communications relay capabilities enhance the battlefield awareness of escorting ground forces and naval ships.

Full-motion video is presented in full-color processing for excellent target identification purposes, helping to limit civilians and collateral damage. Available optional equipment for the MQ-8 family now includes countermeasures pods, mine clearance services, air traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS), satellite communications (SATCOM), joint tactical radio system (JTRS), tactical synthetic aperture radar (SAR/MTI) And tow Sonobouy - the latter is very useful in sea and sea missions.

The MQ-8 is fully compatible with the US Navy's current software network approach. The main rotor blades can be folded back for better storage on Navy ships, as interior storage space is always a precious commodity.

Its relatively small size also allows it to be launched and salvaged by most Navy surface ships without disrupting normal deck operations.

The US Navy first deployed maritime scouts aboard the guided-missile frigate USS McInerney (FFG-8) in the Pacific in September 2009. During the 2011 U.S. involvement in the Libyan civil war, "Maritime Scouts" proved useful in reconnaissance/intelligence gathering.

Notably, however, one MQ-8B was destroyed by enemy fire during a theater operation, a loss confirmed by U.S. naval authorities.

Specification

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Changes