Aircraft
Northrop Grumman Gets Go-Ahead for Larger Fire Scout
Northrop Grumman received a contract from the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) to build the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter based on the Bell 407 airframe. (Artist’s rendering: Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman received a contract from the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) to build the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter based on the Bell 407 airframe. (Artist’s rendering: Northrop Grumman)

Northrop Grumman received a contract from the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) to build the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter based on the Bell 407 airframe. The contract, announced April 23, has a not-to-exceed cost ceiling of $262 million for two demonstration and six production MQ-8Cs. Overall, 28 aircraft are sought to meet an urgent requirement of the Special Operations Command by 2014.