fire scout drone guide

8/12/2019 Fire Scout Drone Guide

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MQ-8B FIRE SCOUT Vertical Takeof f and Landing

Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System



Ready to Deliver

The MQ-8B Fire Scout provides an unprecedentedability to detect, identify, and target tactical threatsat sea or ashore. Fire Scout’s ability to fly multiple

payloads such as radar and electro-optical/infraredsensors allows downlinof broad area surveillanand target-specific fullmotion video to decisiomakers.

Fire Scout providescontinuous situationalawareness and provenreliability, flexibility, andmaintainability. Alreadyon contract with theU.S. Navy, Fire Scout

will dramatically expandcapacity to gatherintelligence and act witdevastating speed.

Northrop Grumman’s Transformational Fire Scout VerticalTakeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehiclesystem provides unprecedented situation awareness andprecision targeting support for U.S. ArmedForces of the future. The MQ-8B Fire Scout

has the ability to autonomously take off andland on any aviation-capable warship and atprepared and unprepared landing zones inproximity to the soldier in contact.

The Northrop Grumman VTUAV system isbased on a highly reliable civilian CommercialOff The Shelf (COTS) helicopter. The advancedground control facilit ies encompass theU.S. Navy’s Tactical Control System (TCS)software developed for Navy ships, tacticaldata links and communications relaycapability. A modular mission payload allowscontinued growth for new sensors.

With a total vehicle endurance greater thaneight hours, the Fire Scout is capable ofcontinuous operations, providing coverage110 nm (200 km) from the launch site.

Using a baseline payload that includes electro-optical/infrared sensors (EO/IR) and a laser rangfinder/illuminator, the Fire Scout system can find

identify, track and illuminate targets, proaccurate targeting data to strike platfor

and perform battle damage assessment

Acting as a communications node within the Joint C4ISR architecture, Fire Scoutwill increase the effectiveness and flexibof other platforms. The Navy programis managed by the U.S. Navy’s PMA-266Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Program OfficPatuxent River, Maryland.

Fully Autonomous Operations

• No pilot in the loop required for launch or recovery

• Manual override capability• In ight mission plan update capability

• Light Harpoon restraint system

• Expanded ight envelope

• Minimal impact on host ship operations

• Minimal support personnel requirement

MQ-8B Fire Scout VTUAV

Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle SystemSupplying Organic Intelligence and Targeting Capability in the Littoral Battle Space

Force Multiplier...The Fire Scout System allows for the full use of multipleonboard sensors and payloads for Over the Horizon Targeting,

Communications Relay, Threat Detection, Intelligence Gathering,Precision Strike Support and real time Battle Damage Assessment.

December 18, 2006

The MQ-8B Fire Scoutsuccessfully completesits first flight at Naval

Air Station PatuxentRiver, MD. During thistest series, the vehicleexecuted its missionsfully autonomously.

Electro-OpticalImage

Infrared Image



System Requirements

Autonomous operations from all air-capable ships

>8 hours continuous system on station coverage

Ceiling and airspeed: 20,000 ft, 115+ kts

>5 hours on station time (single vehicle) at 110 nm

Interoperability through Tactical Control System (TCS) software and STANAG 4586 Compliance

Payload Features

Modular Mission Payloads (MMP)

Plug and play product

Baseline MMP capability

– EO/IR laser range finder illuminator

– Voice/data communication relay

600 pound payload lift capacity

Growth payloads

– Tactical Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR/MTI),

Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS), Traffic CollisionAvoidance System (TCAS), SATCOM, Sonobuoy

delivery, expendables employment, threat countermeasures, mine detection, etc...

The Fire Scout System enables U.S. Armed Forces operations toe conducted with seamless control from ships or from land-basedontrol segments. Real-time data can be shared with Navy, Marines,rmy, and Homeland Security Forces and targeting data can berovided to all Services’ potential shooters, reducing engagementimelines and minimizing their exposure to enemy fire.

Meeting the Armed Forces’ System Needs

• Providing organic Intell igence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Targeting (ISR/T) capabilities

• Provides Over The Horizon (OTH) targeting

• Provides “real-time” Battle Damage Assessment

• Implements network centric warfare concepts with communications relay capability

• Defense IT Standard Registry/Joint Technical Architec(DIST/JTA) compliant

• Fully interoperable between land and sea-based TacticaControl Systems

Legacy of High Reliability

Based on a Schweizer Aircraft commercial airframe withover 20 million flight hours, the Fire Scout vehicleincorporates reliable turbine power (160 million flight houusing standard NATO heavy fuel. Leveraging from this FAcertified aircraft with commonality of over 50 percent ofmechanical parts, the servicing and logistical processes well known, proven and documented. This “low risk” appr

for the airframe allows effective maturation of the entiresystem within a short development schedule.



The Fire Scout System (STANAG Compliant) provides fullyautonomous operation of the air vehicle and payload withthe flexibility of a wide variety of override commandsavailable to the operators through the Control System (CS).The CS also displays payload imagery, air vehicle statusand situational information to the operators. Payload

information can be disseminated via the C4I architectureto GCCS-M and other C4I nodes.

All data is available through the signal entry panel,including RS-170, RGB, Fiber Optics, Ethernet, ATM, FDDIand Fiber Optic Ethernet. The CS houses an air vehicleoperator (AVO), a mission payload operator (MPO) anda mission commander (MC).

The Control System for Fire Scout in the Navy isintegrated into the Integrated Communication Center(ICC) aboard Littoral Combat Ship. There are also versof this system that are constructed to be contained ina roll on/roll off shelter or mounted on a High MobilityMulti-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) for land-bas

and mobile operations.

The CS has the ability to perform pre-mission planningfor the air vehicle and payload. It can also upload newmissions real-time and perform override control of bot

vehicle and payload.

Versatility Equals Capability

Navy Manned-Unmanned Operations

Command Information Center (CIC)

Navy

Control System

(CS)

UHF/VHF (3)

Shielded AvionicsCompartment

TacticalCommonDatalink

Antenna (1)

Flight Control Actuators

Folding Rotors

Fuel Tank UHF/VHF Antenna (2)

UHF/VHF Antenna (1)

GPS Antenna (1)

GPS Antenna (2)

Radar Altimeter Antenna

Radar Altimeter Antenna (2)

Engine Intake Barrier Filter

Tactical Common Datalink Antenna (2)

Turboshaft Engine

Light Harpoon Landing Restraint System

Modular Mission Payload

(EO/IR Laser Pointer and Range Finder)

ARSenna

UCARS

Littoral

Combat Ship

(LCS)



Operational Scenario

The Fire Scout VTUAV system is capable ofoperating from any air-capable Navy ship andwill be primarily based aboard the Navy’s newestsurface combatant, the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).Fire Scout is a cri tical contributor to the ship’sthree primary missions: Anti-Submarine Warfare,Surface Warfare, and Mine Warfare. Operationalconcepts allow for the Fire Scout to transitionthrough multiple roles while it provides suppor tthroughout the Joint Battle Space.

Through rapid reconfiguration facilitated bymodular payload architecture and defined interfacespecifications, Fire Scout is able to adapt to themission at hand and provide real time ISR/T to theoperational commander. Fire Scout is the perfectasset to detect and engage swarming boats,ensure landing areas are clear for amphibious

craft, provide overhead communications relay, and conduintelligence gathering and targeting on relocatable target

As battlefield preparation continues and enemy forces arengaged, the Fire Scout can provide Over-the-Horizon (OT

targeting for U.S.Navy ship-launched weapons or land-basartillery to strike targets that are well beyond normal Linof-Sight (LOS) sensors.

Fire Scout missions will be expanded through spiraldevelopment of requirements and capabilities. Thesewould include marit ime surveillance radar, signals andcommunications intelligence gathering, magnetic anomalydetectors, and satellite communications. The Fire Scout

VTUAV will provide additional capabilities as it increases thenumber of payloads employed and will allow the operationalcommander to dramatically augment his situational awarenand responsiveness.

AEROSPACE SYSTEMS

STRIKE AND SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS DIVISION



MQ-8B Fire Scout

Air Vehicle Specifications

United States Navy

Air Vehicle

Fuselage Length (with Dual Payload Nose):

23.95 ft (7.3 m)

Fuselage Width:

6.20 ft (1.9 m)

Length (with Blades Folded Forward):

30.03 ft (9.2 m)

Rotor Diameter:

27.50 ft (8.4 m)

Height (Top of Tail Antenna):

9.71 ft (2.9 m)

Gross Weight: 3,150 lbs (1428.8 kg)

Engine:

Rolls Royce 250-C20W

Turboshaft Engine

Speed:

115+ Knots

Ceiling:

20,000 ft (6.1 km)

Endurance

Total Flight Time with Baseline Payload:

8+ Hours

Total Flight Time with EO/IR + Radar:

7+ Hours

Total Flight Time with Maximum Payload:

5+ Hours

Payloads

23.95 ft

9.71 ft

7.85 ft

13.75 ft

P.O. Box 509066 • San Diego • California • 92150-9066

www.northropgrumman.com/unmanned

Contact Info:

Joe Fleming (858) 618-6737 • Email: [email protected]

Approved for Public Release • Distr ibut ion Unlimited

NAVAIR 09-413 Dated 8 February 2010Revised Cover: NAVAIR 10-604 Dated 28 April 2010

VM00-AS-4873 02 13

NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATIONSTRIKE AND SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS DIVISION

Star SAFIRE IIIEO/IR/LRF

U.S. Navy Baseline

EO/IR/LRF

Mine Detector UHF/VHFComm Relay

Maritime Radar

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