Autonomous Helicopter Could Hunt Mines at Sea.

• Author: Roaten, Meredith

* The Navy's newest variant of its unmanned helicopter may soon feature some additional capabilities, according to a service official.

The Navy is considering putting a more advanced mine locator on the Northrop Grumman-built Fire Scout MQ-8C--an upgrade of the MQ-8B--which has been flying counternarcotics missions since its deployment in December, said Capt. Eric Soderberg, program manager for multi-mission tactical unmanned aerial systems at Naval Air Systems Command.

While the older variant of the Fire Scout utilizes an airborne mine detector known as the coastal battlefield reconnaissance and analysis Block I, the Block II version would be able to detect mines in deeper waters, Soderberg said during a press conference.

"There's a well-defined need for an airborne sensor that can detect mines, not only in the surf zone, which we have sensors for, but also in slightly deeper water," he said.

The Navy plans to issue a request for proposals for the Block II variant in the second quarter of fiscal year 2022.

The Fire Scout's radar upgrade will elevate its ability to perform intelligence and reconnaissance missions, Soderberg noted. For example, operators will be able to combine multiple sensors to gather data.

"What it brings is improved software that allows the system to correlate amongst the multiple sensors that are on the...