Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout
Unmanned helicopter for reconnaissance and targeting for the U.S. Navy.
The Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout—called the Fire-X while it was being developed—is an unmanned helicopter built for the U.S. Navy. It can take off and land on its own, without a pilot aboard. Its job is to handle reconnaissance, keep an eye on the battlefield, support troops with aerial fire, and help guide precision strikes for units on the ground, in the air, or at sea. The helicopter’s body comes from the Bell 407, and its electronics and control systems were pulled from the earlier MQ-8B Fire Scout.
The project started in May 2010, when Northrop Grumman said it would fly a Bell 407 fitted with the MQ-8B’s autonomous controls. That test vehicle, called Fire-X, was meant to show the Navy it could deliver cargo without a pilot. It made its first flight in December 2010 at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. In April 2012, the Navy gave Northrop Grumman a $262.3 million contract to build the new MQ-8C. That deal covered two test aircraft and six low-rate production models at first. The Navy wanted 28 of them for special operations forces.
In March 2013, the Navy swapped in a Rolls-Royce 250-C47E engine. That gave the MQ-8C 5 percent more power in hot or high-altitude conditions, cut fuel use by 2 percent, boosted takeoff power by 8 percent, and improved reliability. The Bell 407-based design can stay in the air for 12 hours, fly 150 nautical miles, and carry about 318 kilograms of payload. That’s twice the endurance and three times the payload of the MQ-8B.
Northrop Grumman handed over the first MQ-8C to the Navy in early July 2013. Before it could fly, crews ran ground tests to make sure everything worked and talked to the ground control station. The MQ-8C shares its software, avionics, payloads, and ship gear with the MQ-8B. The first flight was expected in early October 2013, with deployment planned for late 2014. The Navy had planned to add APKWS II rockets after 2016, but problems fitting them onto ships and limited magazine space shelved that idea, and it was eventually dropped.
In September 2013, the delivered MQ-8C ran its engines for 10 minutes to get ready for its first flight. That flight was set for early to mid-October, though the exact date wasn’t fixed—tests like this often slip because of small system glitches. The flight test program was scheduled to last six months. The MQ-8C actually flew for the first time on 31 October 2013.
Quick Facts
- Aircraft Type
- UAV helicopter
- Manufacturer
- Northrop Grumman / Bell Helicopter
- Primary User
- United States Navy
- Number Built
- 38
- Introduction
- 2019
- First Flight
- 2013
- Developed From
- Bell 407 / Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In May 2010, Northrop Grumman announced plans to fly a Bell 407 helicopter modified with autonomous controls from the MQ-8B, named Fire-X, to demonstrate unmanned cargo resupply capability. The unmanned Fire-X completed its first flight in December 2010 at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. In April 2012, Northrop Grumman received a $262.3 million contract from the Navy to build the MQ-8C Fire Scout, including two developmental aircraft and six low-rate production aircraft initially. The Navy wanted 28 MQ-8Cs for naval special operations forces. In March 2013, the Navy incorporated the Rolls-Royce 250-C47E engine into the MQ-8C, providing a 5 percent increase in hot and high power, 2 percent reduced fuel consumption, 8 percent increase in rated takeoff power, and better reliability. The MQ-8C has twice the endurance and three times the payload of the MQ-8B.
The first MQ-8C was delivered to the Navy in early July 2013. It first flew on 31 October 2013, flying for 7 minutes in restricted airspace using autonomous controls at Naval Base Ventura County. The second MQ-8C was delivered in November 2013. In December 2014, the MQ-8C began testing aboard the destroyer USS Jason Dunham, executing 22 landings and recoveries in less than four hours. The first operational MQ-8C was delivered to the US Navy in December 2014. Its final developmental flight was completed in April 2015 after 450 hours in 327 flights. In August 2015, Northrop Grumman demonstrated an 11-hour endurance flight. In November 2015, the MQ-8C completed a 3-week operational assessment period over 83.4 hours in 11 flights. By that time, the aircraft had logged 730 flight hours over 427 flights. In July 2018, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 concluded initial operational test and evaluation of the MQ-8C aboard the USS Coronado. In June 2019, the MQ-8C was declared mission capable.
The MQ-8C's role shifted to focus on providing targeting and surveillance data for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), using its long endurance and radar for over-the-horizon targeting. By January 2023, the U.S. Navy had procured 38 MQ-8Cs, with 10 used for operations and the rest in storage, all on the West Coast operated by Helicopter Sea Combat Squadrons 21 and 23 to support the MCM package of Independence-class LCS. As of May 2024, the Navy will end operational employment of the MQ-8C at the end of FY2024, with sundown following at the end of FY2026.
Reader's Guide
The MQ-8C Fire Scout represents a significant evolution in unmanned naval aviation, offering extended endurance and payload capacity compared to its predecessor, the MQ-8B. Its development from the Bell 407 airframe and integration of MQ-8B avionics allowed for a relatively rapid fielding, with first flight in October 2013 and initial operational capability in June 2019. The aircraft's autonomous take-off and landing capability made it suitable for shipboard operations, as demonstrated during testing aboard the USS Jason Dunham in December 2014. The MQ-8C's role was initially envisioned to include aerial fire support with APKWS II guided rockets, but ship integration issues and limited magazine space on the LCS led to the abandonment of that effort. Instead, the MQ-8C focused on providing over-the-horizon targeting and surveillance data, leveraging its 12-hour endurance and AN/ZPY-8 Osprey 30 lightweight AESA radar. The U.S. Navy procured 38 MQ-8Cs, but by May 2024 announced the end of operational employment at the close of FY2024, with sundown by FY2026, marking a relatively short service life for a platform that had only achieved mission capability in 2019.
Did You Know?
- The MQ-8C was known as the Fire-X during development.
- It first flew on 31 October 2013 at Naval Base Ventura County.
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