The US Navy is planning to start sea trials shortly of the Northrop Grumman RQ-8A Fire Scout, possibly with international participation. The US Senate, meanwhile, has approved additional development and procurement funding for the vertical take-off/landing unmanned air vehicle (VTUAV).
Northrop Grumman has developed a sea trials programme culminating in the rotary-wing UAV landing and taking off from the USS Denver amphibious warfare ship by the end of August.
The USN is holding discussions with France, Germany, Japan, Spain and the UK to observe the demonstration.
The event will initially entail transmitting signals between a ground control station aboard the ship and NAS Point Mugu air base, from where Fire Scout will fly. "We want to ensure we can control the VTUAV from either place," says Tim Beard, Northrop Grumman UAV business development.
Testing of the UAV common automated recovery system has already started and the next step will be a commanded engine start later this month and, following the addition of the navy's tactical control system, low-level approaches to the ship. "If the approaches are stable and the navy is happy, we expect some landings in August," says Beard.
Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) has voted to add an extra $46.4million to the Fire Scout programme. The SAC has also directed eight more Fire Scouts be procured for the navy's concept of operations studies.
The money will also be used to develop the more robust RQ-8B, including a new four-blade main rotor for improved payload performance. The navy may stick with the three-blade configuration if it can get the necessary improvement from a new optimised blade planform. The extra payload will permit the addition of a synthetic aperture radar, as well as an infrared/electro-optical sensor.
In a move that could spell more difficulty for the rival Bell Eagle Eye, selected by the US Coast Guard over the Fire Scout, the SAC has requested a report by April next year, detailing common requirements and the technologies and platforms needed to make this a reality.
Source: Flight International
