The Navy and Raytheon [RTN] deployed an advanced mission control system (MCS) for the MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) helicopter aboard USS Coronado (LCS-4), the company said Wednesday.
Aboard the currently underway Coronado, Navy hardware and Raytheon software were combined with an open architecture to provide flexible command and control of MQ-8 missions in littoral waters, the company said.
Built by Northrop Grumman [NOC], the MQ-8, with the new mission control, extends the ship and a fleet’s situational awareness.
“Raytheon’s UAV ground controls help support Navy missions without putting sailors’ lives at risk,” Todd Probert, vice president of mission support and modernization at Raytheon, said in a statement.
Raytheon highlighted the open architecture of the mission control system allows the Navy to add new technology as needed
Relatedly, the Navy’s Common Control System (NCCS) will be able to control any air, ground, surface, and subsurface vehicles as they deploy with the fleet. This capability is based on the foundation of the Fire Scout MCS and is set to reduce Navy-wide implementation costs and training requirements for unmanned systems, Raytheon said.
“Our new Fire Scout MCS enables Fire Scout to bring more mission to more areas,” Capt. Jeff Dodge, U.S. Navy Fire Scout program manager, said.
“Fire Scout is a proven capability in dynamic littoral environments, and now provides the potential for multiple platforms to be controlled from a single MCS aboard the ship,” Dodge added.
Coronado is one of the newest Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) for the Navy, meant to operate closer to shorelines than other kinds of ships. It is the first LCS to use the upgraded Fire Scout MCS operationally. Coronado had previously conducted over 600 hours of testing with the advanced Fire Scout MCS.