Mon, Feb 25, 2008
Navy Will Conduct Operational Evaluation Later This Year
The US Navy has decided to integrate Northrop Grumman's MQ-8B
Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle (VTUAV) onto another air-capable ship before it reaches the
Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The Fire Scout is still slated to go
aboard the LCS, and the Navy remains committed to transitioning the
Fire Scout in that direction.
The Fire Scout is a key component of the LCS, designed to
support mission areas of anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare
and mine warfare. Northrop says the modular nature of the LCS to
accomplish the designated mission is perfectly complemented by the
Fire Scout and its modular mission payload capability.
However, due to changes in the LCS development schedule, the
Navy intends to conduct the Fire Scout Operational Evaluation
(OpEval) aboard a ship that will be designated by the US Fleet
Forces Command within the next 30 days. Officials say this will
provide the fleet with unmanned aerial system support as soon as
possible.
According to the current schedule, the Navy will conduct
Technical Evaluation on the Fire Scout on the designated ship in
the fall 2008 and OpEval in the summer 2009. The Fire Scout will
reach Initial Operating Capability soon after OpEval in 2009. The
Navy will continue to support LCS Initial Operational Test and
Evaluation (IOT&E) efforts in fiscal year 2011.
"This is great news for the Navy and for the Fire Scout," said
Doug Fronius, MQ-8B Fire Scout VTUAV program director for Northrop
Grumman's Integrated System sector. "It's a win-win situation
because the Fire Scout gets to progress through testing and initial
operational capability. It will be ready to deploy on operational
missions and will be ready when the LCS needs it."
Fire Scout VTUAV restructuring is in the best interests of the
Fleet and the US Navy Fire Scout VTUAV program because it enables
the Navy to continue supporting LCS integration and will provide a
more mature system for LCS deployments.
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