MQ-8B FIRE SCOUT Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System

The Fire Scout System (STANAG Compliant) provides fully autonomous operation of the air vehicle and payload with the flexibility of a wide variety of override commands available to the operators through the Control System (CS). The CS also displays payload imagery, air vehicle status and situational information to the operators. Payload information can be disseminated via the C4I architecture to GCCS-M and other C4I nodes. All data is available through the signal entry panel, including RS-170, RGB, Fiber Optics, Ethernet, ATM, FDDI and Fiber Optic Ethernet. The CS houses an air vehicle operator...

Operational Scenario The Fire Scout VTUAV system is capable of operating from any air-capable Navy ship and will be primarily based aboard the Navy’s newest surface combatant, the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Fire Scout is a critical contributor to the ship’s three primary missions: Anti-Submarine Warfare, Surface Warfare, and Mine Warfare. Operational concepts allow for the Fire Scout to transition through multiple roles while it provides support throughout the Joint Battle Space. Through rapid reconfiguration facilitated by modular payload architecture and defined interface specifications, Fire...