Northrop Starts Sea Tests on Fire Scout System; George Vardoulakis Comments

Northrop Grumman has completed the first flight test for a U.S. Navy Fire Scout system off the Virginia coast.

The MQ-8C system flew from the USS Jason Dunham guided-missile destroyer as it was controlled from the ship’s ground control station, the company said Tuesday.

“We are on track to validate all of the critical performance parameters of this Navy asset and ready the system for deployment and operational use,” said George Vardoulakis, vice president for medium-range tactical systems at Northrop Grumman.

Vardoulakis added that the tests were meant to validate the system’s “ability to operate off any air-capable ship.”