Northrop Grumman has begun work on incorporating a weapons system in the MQ-8B Fire Scout Unmanned helicopter from the US Navy. Northrop has been working on the Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System since 2010.
Fire Scout
This system consists of a laser-guided rocket, which will equip ship commanders with the ability to identify and engage targets without the need for other aircrafts or support systems.
The vice president of Northrop Grumman explained that the weapon system was capable of identifying and prosecuting targets of the enemy with precision. By using this system, the lives of soldiers can be saved. Northrop Group intends to deliver the system in a fully operational state by March 2013. The installation of these weapons systems will make the Fire Scout, the first ever sea-based unmanned system that carries weapons. The Fire Scout is capable of operating at minimal ground speeds and therefore it can be used on littoral missions, like reconnaissance, port security, drug interdiction, antipiracy actions and search and rescue. The Fire Scout is built using a modular architecture and hence is able to accommodate different types of payloads such as electro-optical, infrared and even communication payloads. Using these payloads, ground and ship based commanders are able to gain a good amount of situational awareness and can accurately target hostile points in unmanned missions.