The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot (TNS)
Published: December 27, 2014
NORFOLK, Va. — For the first time, the Navy has flown an unmanned MQ-8C Fire Scout helicopter from the deck of a ship at sea.
Earlier this month off the coast of Virginia, engineers from Northrop Grumman practiced taking off and landing the MQ-8C Fire Scout from the deck of the guided missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham.
From a control room aboard the ship, civilian pilots completed 32 takeoffs and landings with the new drone helicopter over several days before wrapping up the sea trials Tuesday. The Navy also ran three full-scale test flights, which involved maneuvering the helicopter a significant distance away from the ship.
The goal, according to the Navy, was to assess the drone’s capabilities in different wind conditions and to see how well it could land on a ship moving at different speeds.
The Navy has been using the unmanned helicopter since 2009 for surveillance missions, but it had never been flown from a ship.
The helicopter tests are part of a broader move toward unmanned systems. In 2013, the Navy launched an unmanned, automated fighter jet from the deck of an aircraft carrier. In the coming years, the service hopes to launch a fleet of unmanned underwater robots to patrol harbors and clear mine fields.
©2014 The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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