MQ-8C Fire Scout Archives - Page 2 of 2

Top Stories 2019: U.S. Navy Acquisition

3 January 2020

This post is part of a series of review stories looking back at the top naval news from 2019.

2019 started with a surprise in the Navy budget request: the service needed to buy and test unmanned surface vehicles immediately to reach its ultimate goals for the surface force, and it was willing to sacrifice almost anything – including sidelining an aircraft carrier – to free up the funds to do so.

The year continued with a contract award for the first carrier-based unmanned aircraft, troubles with...

https://news.usni.org/2020/01/03/top-stories-2019-u-s-navy-acquisition

The State of LCS: Navy Moving to Add Firepower, Capability to Both Classes

6 September 2019

USS Detroit (LCS-7) receives regularly scheduled maintenance and upkeep during a scheduled dry-dock maintenance availability phase at BAE Systems shipyard in Jacksonville, Fla., March 29, 2019. US Navy Photo

This is the second of a two-part series on the current state of the Littoral Combat Ship program.

WASHINGTON NAVY YARD – With both variants of the Littoral Combat Ship in serial production at two yards and those ships now kicking off an enduring multi-ship overseas presence, the Navy is...

https://news.usni.org/2019/09/06/the-state-of-lcs-navy-moving-to-add-firepower-capability-to-both-classes

Navy Declares Unmanned MQ-8C Fire Scout Helicopter Mission Capable

9 July 2019

Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VX-1) Sailors Aviation Machinist’s Mate Second Class Salvatore Green, left, and Aviation Electronics Technician Third Class Jake Price prepare the MC-8C Fire Scout to launch from the Independence variant littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS-4) on June 21, 2018. Navy photo.

The Navy declared its MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter mission capable and ready to deploy aboard Littoral Combat Ships.

The initial operational capability (IOC) declaration comes after...

https://news.usni.org/2019/07/09/navy-declares-unmanned-mq-8c-fire-scout-helicopter-mission-capable

Navy Retooling Fire Scout Program to Focus on More Complex Warfare Missions

21 February 2019

Maintainers from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VX-1) analyze diagnostics from the MQ-8C Fire Scout on the flight deck of the Independence variant littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) on June 21, 2018. US Navy photo.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Navy is rethinking how it will employ its emerging MQ-8C Fire Scout rotary-wing unmanned vehicles to help Littoral Combat Ships take on tougher targets in a new age of great power competition.

Within the last year, the Navy has shifted the focus of...

https://news.usni.org/2019/02/20/navy-retooling-fire-scout-program-focus-complex-warfare-missions

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