US Navy Trials Fire Scout UAV for Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations

Successful ship-to-shore transition demonstrates the Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout’s mission flexibility in an expeditionary environment and across ship classes By DA Staff / 19 Aug 2022

Military UAS

Discover cutting-edge solutions from 8 leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
MQ-8C+Fire+Scout
Follow DA

Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C Fire Scout, the US Navy’s autonomous helicopter system, has successfully completed operations under the Expeditionary Advance Base Operations (EABO) concept, providing persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Targeting (ISR&T) capabilities.

MQ-8C Fire Scout was launched from the Vertical Take-Off and Landing Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicle Maintenance Detachment at Naval Base Ventura County in Point Mugu, California, simulating a ship-based departure. 

The Navy conducted a control system hand-off of the MQ-8C Fire Scout from Point Mugu to San Clemente Island, California, demonstrating the ship-to-shore transition capability of the platform in a maritime expeditionary environment.

With the Navy’s Portable Mission Control Station (MCS-P), the system was recovered and redeployed rapidly for operational flexibility. 

The portable MCS-P ground control station helps MQ-8C Fire Scout based in austere locations on land, helipad operations in an advanced forward location, and logistics support from ship flight decks. With identical ship-based hardware, screen configuration and software, operations remain consistent across all ship classes.

“Fire Scout is the Navy’s only unmanned helicopter with the ability to deploy from a ship or land with ISR&T at the extended range required for future warfighting,” said Capt. Dennis Monagle, US Navy. “The system is vital in expeditionary use for situational awareness and critical decision-making.”

“We are supporting MQ-8C deployments on littoral combat ships while assisting the Navy with Fire Scout mission expansion efforts to include operations from other surface ships and shore-based sites,” said Lance Eischeid, director, Fire Scout program, Northrop Grumman. “This EABO demonstration further proves the flexible utility of Fire Scout for expeditionary use from land and across multiple ship classes.”

Posted by DA Staff Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Autonomous Tactical Vehicles Deployed for Live Mission Trials

Overland AI deployed its ULTRA autonomous vehicles across 15 live missions, where U.S. Army engineers executed end-to-end operations using OverWatch planning software

Jun 19, 2025
Honeywell Auxiliary Power & Environmental Control Systems Chosen for FLRAA Program

Honeywell’s advanced APU and thermal management technologies have been selected to support the U.S. Army’s next-generation Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program

Jun 19, 2025
GA-ASI Demonstrates Autonomous Jet with Simulated Shoot Down

GA-ASI's latest test showcases autonomous air combat capabilities, featuring a live simulated shoot-down and seamless software integration using modular open architecture

Jun 19, 2025
New Portable Threat Detection Kit Enhances Mobile Security for U.S. Agencies

ZE Government Solutions has introduced the ZeroEyes Awareness Kit (ZEAK), a rapidly deployable system designed to strengthen threat detection for government and public safety missions

Jun 18, 2025
GA-ASI Collaboration Brings AEW Capability to MQ-9B UAS

GA-ASI and Saab are collaborating to equip the MQ-9B unmanned aircraft with advanced Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) capabilities by 2026

Jun 18, 2025
Q&A: Periphery’s Approach to Cybersecurity & CRA Readiness

This Q&A explores how Periphery’s AI-powered platform secures embedded devices with real-time threat detection, supporting defence applications and EU Cyber Resilience Act compliance

Jun 18, 2025

Featured Content

Trillium Launches Advanced Gimbal for Medium & Long Range Reconnaissance

Trillium Engineering’s new HD45 LV R delivers advanced imaging performance in an ultra-light gimbal, optimized for long range and medium range ISR missions

Jun 11, 2025
Honeywell Unveils New Lightweight Tactical-Grade IMU

Honeywell has launched the HG3900 IMU, a compact tactical-grade unit with reduced size and power consumption while maintaining near-navigation-grade performance levels

Jun 10, 2025
Teledyne Marine Showcases Integrated Maritime Security Capabilities at SeaSEC Challenge 2025

Teledyne Marine joined SeaSEC Challenge 2025 to demonstrate integrated sonar, acoustic, and AUV technologies in live maritime threat scenarios, supporting international efforts to protect critical underwater infrastructure

Jun 05, 2025
Advancing Defense Capability Through Strategic Collaboration Defense Advancement works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive defense capabilities forward.