Fire Scout To Gather Intel, Hunt Pirates

The U.S. Navy’s Fire Scout will deepen its operational experience considerably both on land and at sea this year as the unmanned rotorcraft begins anti-piracy missions in the Middle East and intelligence-collection for troops in Afghanistan.

The Afghanistan deployment, including three aircraft and two ground control stations, is planned for early in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to troops.

Northrop Grumman, which manufactures the MQ-8 Fire Scout, will operate and maintain the system in theater under the guidance of Navy officers, says Victor Chen, a spokesman for Naval Air Systems Command, which manages the $2.6 billion program. A basing decision for the rotorcraft there is expected in the next couple of weeks.

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