Northrop and Ultra move towards production-ready MQ-8 sonobuoy launcher
A collaboration between Northrop Grumman and Ultra Electronics could hold the key to new ASW capabilities for the MQ-8C Fire Scout UAV.
Northrop Grumman and Ultra Electronics plan on co-designing and manufacturing a new sonobuoy launcher for the MQ-8C Fire Scout, as they further develop ASW capabilities for the aircraft.
An Ultra prototype launcher was used to carry and deploy ‘G’-class sonobuoys (measuring 42cm in length) during a Fire Scout large area multi-static acoustic search test off the coast of California in October 2020 — a demonstration that could compel the USN to operate the MQ-8C in ASW missions.
‘What we’re working on now is going from a prototype [sonobuoy launcher] to doing more in-depth engineering and working towards a production system,’
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