Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout

The Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout, known as the Fire-X during development, is an unmanned helicopter developed by Northrop Grumman for the United States Navy. It has autonomous take-off and landing capability and was designed for reconnaissance, situational awareness, aerial fire support and precision targeting for ground, air and sea forces. Its airframe is based on the Bell 407, while its avionics and other systems come from the MQ-8B Fire Scout. It first flew on 31 October 2013 and reached initial operational capability in June 2019. It has roughly twice the endurance and three times the payload of the MQ-8B, and it was used mainly from Littoral Combat Ships for surveillance and over-the-horizon targeting. The Navy planned to end operational use at the end of fiscal year 2024 and retire the type by the end of fiscal year 2026.