After paving the way for integrating unmanned helicopters on to US Navy ships, Northrop Grumman has disclosed details of two projects to show the company is not falling behind as the customer's need evolves.
Northrop's MQ-8B Fire Scout is in low-rate initial production for the navy's littoral combat ships, but the service is already expanding its vision for vertical take-off capability.
In April, the navy released a request for information for a persistent ship-based unmanned aircraft system (PSB UAS), which would be installed on several classes of ships after 2016 for surveillance, targeting and strike. The aircraft would perform a similar role as Fire Scout, but with greater payload capacity and endurance.
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Northrop is also teaming with Bell Helicopter to convert the 407 helicopter into an optionally piloted vehicle. This unmanned 407, called Fire-X, is for the navy's requirement for the PSB UAS programme, says Northrop business development director Bob Davis.
With auxiliary fuel tanks inside the cabin, the unmanned helicopter will have an endurance of 16.8h with a useful load of 1,450kg (3,200lb), Davis says.