Northrop Grumman’s MQ‐8B Fire Scout UAV, RQ‐4 Global Hawk And X‐47B UCAV BAE System Technology

The most significant rotary‐wing UAV programme at present is Northrop Grumman’s MQ‐8B Fire Scout. Fire Scout has been selected as the Class IV UAV in the US Army’s FCS programme, and as the vertical take‐off unmanned aerial vehicle (VTUAV) for the USN.

The US Army Fire Scout’s primary role will be to provide ISTAR. As with the US Army’s Fire Scout, the USN’s variant will principally act in an ISTAR role. The USN has outlined three potential mission areas for Fire Scout; in antisubmarine operations, surface warfare and mine‐warfare. Upon completion of the engineering manufacturing and development phase, an MQ‐8B is to be trialled aboard the Oliver Hazard Perryclass frigate USS McInerney. Further trials will then follow aboard Littoral Combat Ships.

MQ‐8B Fire Scout

Northrop Grumman RQ‐4 Global Hawk

With a planned roll‐out in October and first flight early in the first quarter of 2010, the EuroHawk is a Northrop Grumman RQ‐4 Global Hawk Block 20 that is being developed as an unmanned replacement for the German navy’s Dassault‐Breguet Atlantic signals intelligence aircraft.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN RQ‐4B GLOBAL HAWK BLOCK 40 The latest model to debut in the RQ‐4b series was scheduled to complete first flight in late July 2009. The USAF ultimately plans to buy 15 examples of the Block 40 type.

 NORTHROP GRUMMAN X‐47B UAV

Rolled out on the 16th December 2008, first flight of the X‐47B is on track for the fourth quarter this year. Flight trials at sea are scheduled to begin in 2011. The demonstration has also been expanded to include an aerial refuelling component during the later stages of the programme, which is funded up to fiscal year 2013. The UCAS‐D programme survived a cancellation threat last year. USN officials last year revealed a new plan to bridge to a new acquisition programme called F/A‐XX after 2020, with both manned and unmanned aircraft under study.