This award, for an amount not to exceed $40 million, is the last of three planned low-rate initial production (LRIP) buys. The Navy authorized an LRIP 1 contract to Northrop Grumman for the Fire Scout VTUAV program in June 2007. The program achieved a series of program milestones and the Navy awarded an LRIP 2 contract in September 2008. Under this LRIP 3 contract, the company will provide the Navy with three complete MQ-8B Fire Scouts with electro-optical payloads, three ground control stations, three light harpoon grids, three UAV common automatic recovery systems and six portable electronic display devices. Work is expected to be completed in March 2011. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. The Navy plans to conduct Technical Evaluation of the Fire Scout program in early 2009. OpEval is scheduled for later in the year. The Fire Scout program will reach Initial Operating Capability soon after OpEval in 2009.
(The guided-missile frigate USS McInerney (FFG-8) embarks an MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned air vehicle. This is the first time a Fire Scout has deployed with the U.S. Navy ship. Fire Scout will assist McInerney during its next counter illicit trafficking deployment to Latin America. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Holly Boynton)