Ground Forces :: Tactical Unmanned Rotorcrafts :: RQ-8 Fire Scout :: RQ-8A Fire Scout

RQ-8A Fire Scout

Program Status: Canceled
Derived from: Schweizer 333

Also Known As: MQ-8

Origin: United States of America

Contractor/s: Northrop Grumman* and Schweizer Aircraft

Description: The Fire Scout VTUAV is a vertical take-off and landing tactical unmanned aerial vehicle designed to provide unprecedented situation awareness and precision targeting for the US Navy and the USMC.
The Fire Scout UAV has the ability to takeoff and land on any helicopter capable ship such as frigates and aircraft carriers as well as any place in the battlefield area supporting the USMC forces.

The RQ-8A Fire Scout also includes a HMMWV-mounted ground control station for use by the USMC and the the Tactical Control Station (TCS) developed for US Navy ships. It provides coverage 110nm from launch site providing ISR (Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance) and targeting through its Electro-Optical and IR sensors and a laser designator.

The Fire Scout will also act as a communications node within the network centric warfare battle space supporting other platforms. It is powered by a single Rolls Royce 250-C20W engine and features a 3-blade main rotor that could be replaced by a 4-blade rotor extending Fire Scout range, payload and flight endurance.

The Fire Scout will replace the Pioneer UAV. In the future, the valuable Fire Scout will provide accurate targeting to warships equipped with Extended Range Guided Projectiles (ERGM) and land attack missiles. For this reason the US Army and the US Navy are testing the Fire Scout under the MQ-8 designation.

In 2005 the RQ-8 program was restructured with the RQ-8A aircraft deemed as the test version of more capable MQ-8B which was scheduled to be the first full operational model deployed with the Armed Forces of the United States.

Parent system is the RQ-8 Fire Scout
IOC: 2008
Total Production: 28
Other Family Members: MQ-8B Fire Scout and MQ-8C Fire Scout

Transactions: There are 1 transactions involving 8 items for RQ-8 Fire Scout in 2012 view report

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:: Specifications ::

Crew: 0
Main Rotor Blades: 3
Number of Engines: 1

Dimensions
Height: 2.87 meter
Length: 6.95 meter

Performance
Ceiling: 6,100 meter (20,013 foot)
Max Range: 204 kilometer

Speed
Top Speed at High Altitude: 65 mps (234 kph)

Time
Flight Endurance: 6 hour (360 minute)

Weight
Max Takeoff Weight: 1,157 kilogram

:: News ::

There are 8 news between
11 Aug 2003
and
29 Mar 2006

Fire Scout Demonstrates Network-Centric Capabilities Fire Scout Completes First Autonomous Ship Landings US Navy Fire Scout Turns into Weaponized UAV US Army Hunter MQ-5B First Flight RQ-8 Fire Scout Unmanned Rotorcraft Successfully Fires Rockets Lockheed-Martin and General Dynamics Awarded LCS Contracts Fire Scout UAV Joins Future Combat Systems Synthetic Aperture Radar Successfully Integrated on the Fire Scout

:: Operators ::

Operators
	Country	Items	Country	Items
	United States of America	?

fully confirmed operational planned retired cancelled destroyed

:: Related Equipment ::

Related Equipment
		Qty
	Helicopter Turboshaft Engines
	Model 250-C20W

:: Image Gallery ::

There are 16 images added on
25 Nov 2006

1 2

:: Notes & Resources ::

Last Updated:
Saturday, February 2, 2013

(*) lead contractor

IOC: Initial Operating Capability
FOC: Full Operating Capability
CEP: Circular Error Probable
Comm: Commissioning Date
Meters (m) Kilometers (km) Nautic Miles (nm) Inch (in) Yard (yd) Foot (ft) Millimeter (mm)
Pound (lb) Kilogram (kg) kN (KiloNewton) Ton (t)
Meters per Second (mps) Kilometers per Hour (kph) Knot (kt) Miles per Hour (mph)
Liter (l) Galon (gl)
Year (yr) Minutes (min) Second (sec)
Shaft-Horse-Power (shp)

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