Northrop Grumman Wins US Contract For 10 Fire Scout MQ-8C UAS

Northrop Grumman has won a $108.1 million contract from the US department of defense for the procurement of 10 Fire Scout MQ-8C unmanned air systems. 

Work will be performed in San Diego, California (33 percent); Ozark, Alabama (27 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (18 percent); Moss Point, Mississippi (16 percent); and various locations within the U.S. (6 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2019. 

Fiscal 2015 and 2016 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $108,118,000 are being obligated at time of award, the company announced last week. 

The MQ-8C Fire Scout is the Navy’s next generation unmanned helicopter. The MQ-8C Fire Scout’s airframe is based on the commercial Bell 407, a mature helicopter with more than 1,400 airframes produced and over 4 million flight hours.

The Fire Scout meets customer requirements for a ship-based and land-based unmanned systems. It also has the ability to autonomously take-off and land on any aviation-capable ship and from prepared and unprepared landing zones. This enhancement significantly increases range and endurance (more than double) and payload capacity (more than triple). The MQ-8C has completed developmental testing and is ready to deploy.