MQ-8B Operational With New Radar Capability | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-06.23.25

Airborne-NextGen-06.24.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.25.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-06.26.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.27.25

Mon, Jul 04, 2016

MQ-8B Operational With New Radar Capability

Recently Deployed At Sea Using New Maritime Radar

The MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter recently deployed with the USS Coronado (LCS-4) to begin flight operations using its new maritime surveillance radar.

The AN/ZPY-4(V)1 radar, built by Telephonics Corporation, will be used to improve the situational awareness of the Fire Scout operators and the ship’s crew in maritime and littoral environments.  The AN/ZPY-4(V)1 will also improve Fire Scout’s target classification for maritime and overland targets.

Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Two Three (HSC-23) will operate both the Fire Scout and the MH-60S Seahawk to increase situational awareness and threat warning in a high-traffic littoral environment.

“This air package will significantly improve the Navy's surface search capabilities for LCS and its action group,” said Capt. Ben Reynolds, Commodore, HSC Wing Pacific.  “The expanded capability will allow our assets to employ an autonomous aircraft off of a naval vessel for search, detection, surveillance, and tracking of maritime surface vessels.”

The radar will be used in support of Surface Unit Warfare objectives. It will significantly expand the search area for the ship’s combat team with the ability to simultaneously track up to 150 targets and increase detection accuracies out to 70 nautical miles.

“Our overall goal for the first-ever HSC/LCS deployment is to integrate the MQ-8B Fire Scout and MH-60S in all available scenarios in order to act as a force multiplier for ships and to function as a vital arm of distributed lethality for the tactical commander,” Reynolds said.

This capability allows the manned/unmanned aviation detachment, working in concert with the LCS and mission package crew, to expand and vastly improve their battle space awareness while building a more detailed common operational picture, he said.

“We continue to evolve into full manned-unmanned teaming by conducting simultaneous missions in the air by determining how best to use MQ-8B and MH-60S for traditional maritime operations,” said Capt. Jeff Dodge , Fire Scout program manager.

The MQ-8B Fire Scout will also support the Navy’s biennially RIMPAC exercise this summer while deployed aboard LCS-4.

(Image provided with NAVAIR news release)

FMI: www.navair.navy.mil

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (06.29.25)

Aero Linx: Transport Canada We are a federal institution, leading the Transport Canada portfolio and working with our partners. Transport Canada is responsible for transportation p>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (06.29.25): Gross Navigation Error (GNE)

Gross Navigation Error (GNE) A lateral deviation from a cleared track, normally in excess of 25 Nautical Miles (NM). More stringent standards (for example, 10NM in some parts of th>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Anticipating Futurespace - Blue Origin Visits Airventure 2017

From AirVenture 2017 (YouTube Edition): Flight-Proven Booster On Display At AirVenture… EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is known primarily as a celebration of experimental and amateu>[...]

NTSB Final Report: Cirrus SR22

Aircraft Parachute System (CAPS) Was Deployed About 293 Ft Above Ground Level, Which Was Too Low To Allow For Full Deployment Of The Parachute System Analysis: The day before the a>[...]

Airborne Affordable Flyers 06.26.25: PA18 Upgrades, ‘Delta Force’, Rhinebeck

Also: 48th Annual Air Race Classic, Hot Air Balloon Fire, FAA v Banning 100LL, Complete Remote Pilot The news Piper PA-18 Super Cub owners have been waiting for has finally arrived>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC