MQ-8 Fire Scout

Work on the creation of the RQ / MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle based on the design of the Schweizer 330 civilian helicopter was launched in February 2000 by Schweitzer USA (a subsidiary of Sikorsky) ^[2] .

In May 2017, Northrop Grumman received $ 36.8 million from the US government to improve radar and software for unmanned vehicles such as the MQ-8 Fire Scout ^[3] .

• Length = 6.98 m.
• Height = 2.87 m.
• Rotor diameter = 8.38 m.
• Normal weight = 1157 kg.
• Maximum speed = 205 km / h.
• Practical ceiling = 6096 m.
• Flight range practical = 177 km.
• Flight Duration = 6 hours
• Engine = Rolls-Royce 250-C20W

The helicopter’s standard equipment includes electro-optical / infrared scanners and a laser range finder , which allow you to find and identify the set targets, and rank them according to importance. The duration of the UAV flight is four hours. This time is enough to make long flights within a radius of 110 nautical miles from the take-off area. On reconnaissance helicopters, they also plan to install high-precision Hellfire missiles .

• RQ-8A - based on the design of a Schweizer 330 helicopter with a three-blade propeller
• MQ-8B - the development of the RQ-8B apparatus based on the design of the Schweizer 333 helicopter (with a four-blade propeller) was launched at the end of 2003, in 2006 the device was named MQ-8B. The take-off weight of the device is 1430 kg, the payload is 270 kg, the fuel reserve is 360 kg, the flight duration is up to 8 hours at a distance of up to 200 km from the control station ^[1]
• MQ-8C Fire-X - based on the design of the Bell 407 helicopter ^[4] ; The first UAV was built in July 2013 and made its first flight on October 31, 2013.

• June 20, 2011 - during the NATO intervention in Libya, during the reconnaissance flight, an unmanned aerial vehicle MQ-8B "Fire Scout" of the US Navy crashed ^[5] .
• On March 30, 2012, off the coast of West Africa, when landing on the deck of the frigate, Simpson boarded the water and one MQ-8B was damaged. However, after repair, the UAV is suitable for further operation ^[6]
• On April 6, 2012, in the north of Afghanistan, one of three MQ-8Bs sent to the country crashed, after this incident, on April 10, 2012, the US Air Force command officially suspended the flights of the MQ-8B ^[6]

•   USA - at the beginning of April 2014, the U.S. Navy was armed with 28 pieces. MQ-8B and 5 more were ordered. MQ-8C ^[7]

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