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  • Northrop Test-Flies Autonomous Helicopter at Mississippi Airport - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Northrop Test-Flies Autonomous Helicopter at Mississippi Airport

    Northrop Grumman has flown an MQ-8C Fire Scout autonomous helicopter for the first time at Trent Lott International Airport in Moss Point, Miss., as part of flight tests. MQ-8C is a modified version of the Bell 407 platform and completed performance assessments aboard the U.S. Navy‘s USS Coronado littoral combat ship in July, the company said Friday.  Melissa Packwood, program director […] More

  • Northrop, Navy Demo Fire Scout Unmanned Helicopter in Sea Mine Detection Mission - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Northrop, Navy Demo Fire Scout Unmanned Helicopter in Sea Mine Detection Mission

    Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy have demonstrated the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter with other autonomous assets to hunt sea mines, Flightglobal reported Thursday. Fire Scout demonstrated its situational awareness capability and capacity to communicate with a submersible drone and a small unmanned surface ship to perform underwater mine sweeping operations at the service’s […] More

  • Navy, Northrop Test New Functions of Fire Scout Unmanned Helicopters - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Navy, Northrop Test New Functions of Fire Scout Unmanned Helicopters

    The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman have jointly demonstrated new functions and technologies of the MQ-8B and MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters. Northrop said Wednesday Fire Scout showcased its manned/unmanned teaming features through station-to-station hand offs of two Fire Scouts and the streaming of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting data to an Amphibious Readiness Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit. The […] More

  • Austal USA-Built Giffords Littoral Combat Ship Completes Maiden Voyage - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Austal USA-Built Giffords Littoral Combat Ship Completes Maiden Voyage

    An Independence-variant littoral combat ship built by Austal USA for the U.S. Navy has completed a maiden voyage from Mobile, Alabama, to a naval base in San Diego, California. USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) underwent combat ship qualification trials, crew certification training and scheduled equipment and system checks during the vessel’s expedition, the Navy said Thursday. Austal USA […] More

  • Raytheon Helps Install UAV Mission-Control Tech Aboard Navy Littoral Combat Ship - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Raytheon Helps Install UAV Mission-Control Tech Aboard Navy Littoral Combat Ship

    Raytheon and the U.S. Navy have installed a mission control system for Northrop Grumman-built unmanned helicopter MQ-8 Fire Scout on a naval ship designed for littoral missions. The Navy combined its control hardware with control software developed by Raytheon to produce the command-and-control system of Fire Scout aboard the USS Coronado, Raytheon said Wednesday. USS Coronado is designed to operate near […] More

  • Report: Navy Eyes Boeing, Kongsberg OTH Missiles for Future LCS - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Report: Navy Eyes Boeing, Kongsberg OTH Missiles for Future LCS

    The U.S. Navy plans to install either Boeing‘s Harpoon or Kongsberg‘s Naval Strike Missile on future littoral combat ships in efforts to boost their lethality with an over-the-horizon surface-to-surface missile, Defense News reported Sunday. Christopher Cavas writes that a Sept. 17 directive from Rear Adm. Pete Fanta, director of surface warfare, sought OTH missiles on both the USS Freedom and […] More

  • Navy Launches Raytheon's SeaRAM Missile in Live-Fire Exercise - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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    Navy Launches Raytheon’s SeaRAM Missile in Live-Fire Exercise

    The U.S. Navy has launched a Raytheon-built SeaRAM tactical missile from the USS Coronado Littoral Combat Ship as part of a live-fire exercise at a California sea range in August. Raytheon said Thursday the Navy used the vessel’s SeaRAM anti-ship defense system to fire a Rolling Airframe Missile and tested the weapon system’s target detection, tracking, engagement and interception functions. Rick Nelson, vice […] More