A PROTOTYPE of a mine countermeasure (MCM) technology system was recently demonstrated on the MQ-8C Fire Scout UAS at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, proving a capability that could allow rapid detection and response to threats. The team conducted operations from the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) utilizing drifting, tethered and moored mines throughout beach zones to deep waters. They gathered data day and night, across all water depths and in mild-to-difficult weather conditions. NAVAIR said the demonstration also proved the reliable and repeatable high performance of the MQ-8C Fire Scout. The air vehicle handled the dual podded system with ease, being the first MCM capability flown on the MQ-8C as well as the heaviest payload to date. Fire Scout successfully operated in restricted and unrestricted air space alongside other aircraft platforms. Providing details of the program on July 7, US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) said that the objective of the demonstration was to gather performance data for both the MQ-8C Fire Scout and Single-system Multi-mission Airborne Mine Detection (SMAMD) System to inform future MCM integration efforts. The SMAMD System, developed by BAE Systems under a Future Naval Capability (FNC) Program sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), is an airborne optical sensor suite that, in a single pass, detects and localizes mines and obstacles on land and at sea.
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