The Fire Scout MQ-8 is a tactical helicopter-type vertical take-off / landing (VTUAV) unmanned aerial vehicle. The MQ-8 was developed by Northrop Grumman of Los Angeles, California for use by the United States military and naval forces. The Fire Scout was originally designed for aerial reconnaissance with real-time data transmission and delivery of cargo to troops. In addition, the MQ-8 is capable of striking ground targets. The Schweizer 333 was used as the base for the MQ-8B.
Fire Scout completed ground tests in early November 2005. The RQ-8 Fire Scout has been adapted for the US Navy's Frigate (FFG) and Coastal Combat Ship (LCS).
During tests at the Yuma test site in Arizona in July 2007, a helicopter of such unmanned aerial vehicles hit the target for the first time with two 70-millimeter missiles. The flight duration of the MQ-8B is 4 hours. This time is enough for a long flight from the take-off site within a radius of 110 nautical miles.
The standard equipment of the helicopter, consisting of infrared and electro-optical scanners, as well as a laser rangefinder, makes it possible to find and identify targets, as well as, depending on their importance, to rank them.
The MQ-8B unmanned multipurpose helicopter is available in two versions: for ground forces and for sea-based ones.
This device is designed for action on the front line and implementation for reconnaissance, target designation, target recognition, firing, determining damage inflicted. 272 kilograms of payload makes it possible to use the MQ-8B as a means of supporting troops and transporting goods for soldiers on missions in hard-to-reach areas. The unmanned helicopter is equipped with ASTAMIDS multi-sensor, which has multispectral and electro-optical detection systems, which allows the device to recognize vehicles, minefields, hidden and combat targets, obstacles along the route. ASTAMIDS uses illumination, quad prism aperture dividers, rangefinder and target pointer.
The unmanned aerial vehicle can connect to US Army Warfighter informers, TRS tactical communication systems, and VICTORY-T tactical network.
The power plant is a Rolls-Royce 250-C20W engine with a power of 313 kW.
The MQ-8B has a four-bladed propeller, and a larger diameter compared to the three-bladed RQ-8A. The blade span is 8, 4 m. The use of a new propeller has reduced noise and increased productivity. In addition, this propeller made it possible to increase (in comparison with the RQ-8A) the take-off weight from 225 kg to 1430 kg. In this case, the payload for near missions is 320 kg. The four-bladed propeller was also tested on the Fire Scout prototypes.
The aircraft is armed with two Hellfire laser-guided missiles, or four Hydra laser-guided missiles (designed to destroy weapons systems), or two Viper Strike precision ammunition, controlled by a GPS system.
When folded, the unmanned aerial vehicle has a length of 7 meters and is convenient for transportation. The MQ-8B has a maximum speed of 110 knots and a ceiling of 20,000 feet.
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