Northrop Grumman Fire Scout project
The Navy will soon deploy unmanned surveillance helicopters to the Pacific for the first time, according to defense contractor Northrop Grumman.
Four MQ-8B Fire Scouts will be aboard the USS Fort Worth — one of several new fast, shallow-water vessels known as littoral combat ships — when it leaves San Diego later this year, Northrop Grumman Fire Scout project manager Tom Twomey said this week.
The ship’s deployment to the Asia-Pacific theater will mark the start of a continuous LCS presence in the region, according to the Navy.
The presence of the surveillance helicopters is sure to spark interest in a region where airborne cameras and sensors are multiplying rapidly.
The Air Force has been flying its unmanned RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance planes from Guam since 2010 and deployed them this summer to Misawa Air Base in Japan, a close U.S. ally that is seeking to boost its own surveillance capabilities following clashes with China over disputed islands in the South China Sea. There also are continuous concerns about North Korea.
Chinese officials do not appear to appreciate the increased attention.
China’s state-run New China News Agency reported this month that Chinese official Fan Changlong advised visiting U.S. national security adviser Susan Rice that America “should reduce and ultimately stop” its spy missions on China.