1 photo

UAV / drone

United States

Northrop Grumman

MQ-8C Fire Scout

Bell 407-derived unmanned autonomous helicopter providing shipboard reconnaissance, targeting, and fire-support cueing for the US Navy.

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗

Data confidence Last verified 2026-07-04 ·

Stub · 16%

230

km/h

280

km range

6,096

m ceiling

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

US ITAR-controlled

Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.

Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale

Fielded & proven

Operator data not public

Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Competitive field

110 comparable systems from 47 other manufacturers

Counted in the WeaponSpecs database: UAVs built by another manufacturer. A count of what this catalog holds, not a survey of the whole market. See the alternatives →

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Performance specifications
Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.	230 km/h Stronger than 57% of UAVs
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.	280 km Stronger than 52% of UAVs
Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.	6,096 m Stronger than 50% of UAVs
Endurance Time on station. Critical for UAVs and patrol platforms, higher means longer persistent coverage. On a ground robot, published continuous run time on a full charge or fuel tank.	15 h Stronger than 61% of UAVs

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Physical specifications
Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.	10.6 m
Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.	3.3 m
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.	318 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.	0

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Propulsion specifications
Engine Powerplant model and type.	Rolls-Royce 250-C47B turboshaft
Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.	1
Engine power Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.	813 hp
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…	Turboshaft

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Sensors & avionics specifications
Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.	Leonardo AN/ZPY-8 AESA maritime surveillance radar

Specifications compiled from public Northrop Grumman and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-04.

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