Northrop Grumman's UAS Takes Flight
The Northrop Grumman
Corporation-built Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing tactical
unmanned aerial vehicle system has officially lifted off as the
Class IV unmanned aerial system (UAS) for the U.S. Army's Future
Combat System (FCS).
Northrop Grumman received an eight-year, $115-million contract
for the program's system development and demonstration phase from
The Boeing Company and Science Applications International
Corporation, the Army's FCS lead systems integrators.
During this phase, Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector
will develop the Class IV UAS architecture, produce seven RQ-8B
Fire Scout air vehicles, perform system tests and evaluations and
help develop long-lead future requirements. Northrop
Grumman's
Baltimore-based Electronic Systems sector, the aerial sensor
integrator for FCS, will integrate the surveillance, reconnaissance
and target acquisition systems on the FCS Fire Scout air
vehicles.
"This contract reinforces Northrop Grumman's growing leadership as
a valued and preferred provider of unmanned aerial vehicle
solutions to the nation and its allies," said Chris Hernandez,
general manager of Integrated Systems' Unmanned Systems unit.
"Fire Scout is ready to takes its place as a vital, capable and
highly effective part of the Army's Objective Force
transformation."
The FCS Fire Scout will be a key element of the Army's tactical
intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting
architecture, providing real-time imagery and data collection and
dissemination at the brigade level, he added.
The RQ-8B air vehicles for FCS are similar to the RQ-8A Fire
Scouts Northrop Grumman is producing for the Navy. The FCS
air vehicles will feature a new, four-blade rotor system (versus
the RQ-8A's three-blade design), improved airfoil blades and
several performance enhancements that enable more than eight hours
endurancewith a specification payload weight of 130 pounds.
Data from company-sponsored engineering tests indicate that the
four-blade design will triple Fire Scout's payload capacity to 600
pounds, double its on-station time at 110 nautical miles (with a
200 pound payload), increase its payload volume and enhance system
supportability.
The four-bladed rotor
system also enhances Fire Scout 's ability to carry multiple
payloads simultaneously. To date in Northrop Grumman's Navy
Fire Scout test program, the three-bladed RQ-8A air vehicle has
flown 13 flights carrying the General Atomics Lynx synthetic
aperture radar with ground moving target indicator; the baseline
electro-optical/ infrared/ laser designator range finder; and a
communications relay payload -- a combined payload weight of
approximately 430 pounds. The company conducted those flights in
July and October of 2003.
In addition to the rotor configuration, the most significant
differences between the Army and Navy Fire Scout systems are the
air vehicles' sensors and avionics. For the Navy, Northrop Grumman
takes a total systems approach, defining the optimum sensors, data
links, and ground control station. For the Army, the FCS lead
system integrators will define for Northrop Grumman the
communications package, data links, sensors and a common
distributed ground control station that must be integrated.
Both services will benefit from a Northrop Grumman Fire Scout
weapons integration program currently underway. To date, the
program has completed fit checks and engineering for the
installation of two four-packs of 2.75-inch rocket launchers on the
air vehicle. The launchers are designed to fire Advanced
Precision Kill Weapon System laser-guided rockets. The company
expects to begin its rocket-firing test program in 2004 using
unguided rockets, followed by tests using guided rockets when they
become available. The company is also planning a Fire Scout weapons
test in 2004 with Viper Strike, a laser-guided precision
munition.
As the Class IV UAS, Fire Scout will be a force multiplier for Army
forces. The air vehicle can operate up to a service ceiling
of 20,000 feet and out to 150 nautical miles from its ground
control station while providing real-time video imagery. The
system can also support intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance,
targeting and precision strike missions.