The US Navy will usher in a new era next month in Coronado by launching its first unmanned-helicopter squadron, which will train current pilots and enlisted nonpilots to fly the up to 6,000-pound unmanned aircraft that may eventually claim a spot on every Navy ship.
The Navy is using helicopters more often — saying they’re better for multi-tasking than airplanes — and now it is cementing its commitment to the unmanned version.
“It’s an exciting time for naval aviation. It’ll be interesting to see where it all goes. It’s definitely the path forward,” said Captain Frank Harrison, a senior helicopter pilot who is leading the fleet integration team for unmanned helicopters.
“I think aviators are pretty good at adapting. So I think these guys will ace this. And there will be young enlisted studs getting a piece of the action and having a ball doing that.”
Aircraft won’t hit the tarmac at North Island Naval Air Station until 2014. At that point, San Diegans should see the MQ-8C Fire Scout, a newer, bigger version of the six-year-old Northrop Grumman Fire Scout designed in Rancho Bernardo.
The update is being developed to fly longer and carry cargo. The Navy is still negotiating the price for those with Northrop Grumman, said a spokeswoman at Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Md.
The squadron will also train people to fly the MQ-8B Fire Scout, the earlier, $10 million version of the Northrop Grumman vehicle that is about the size of a news helicopter. Those craft will be stored at Point Mugu in Ventura County.
Like the other U.S. military services, the Navy is embracing drones in a major way after the unmanned aircraft have proven their worth for surveillance and firepower in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Navy has tested the Fire Scout on frigates deploying from Mayport, Fla. The Navy is also developing an unmanned jet that will eventually launch from an aircraft carrier.
Now, the focus is shifting to San Diego.
The North Island squadron, to be called the HUQ-1 Hydras, will operate the larger MQ-8C drones off of warships such as destroyers and frigates. Nine units from the squadron will be available to dispatch with these vessels on regular six- or seven-month deployments.
Pilots trained at the squadron also will fly smaller MQ-8B aircraft off of the Navy’s new littoral combat ships.
That ship class is a new, high-tech addition to the Navy that was designed from the keel up to incorporate drones. Up to 16 littoral combat ships will be dispatched to San Diego. Aviators who serve on littorals will be traditional MH-60 helicopter pilots who have the added job of flying UAS while aboard ship.
As many as 28 MQ-8C Fire Scouts will belong to the North Island squadron, which will be the Navy’s entire inventory of that version. Over time, the Navy intends to purchase up to 168 MQ-8Bs fleetwide, a Naval Air Systems Command spokeswoman said.
The main task of these small craft will be reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, Harrison said. For instance, if a Navy ship picks up an unknown vessel on radar, the skipper can dispatch a UAS to read the boat’s name with its infrared camera.
The lighter UAS burns less gas and therefore can stay in the air longer than a traditional heavier helicopter, for which the fatigue of the crew also limits the length of a mission.
Harrison said he’s not versed on plans to arm the Fire Scouts.
One of their fixed-wing counterparts, the Predator flown by the Air Force, has been carrying out airstrikes in Afghanistan for several years. But that craft needs an airport with a runway to take off and land.”
It’s a new era for the Navy, in regard to what the term “pilot” means. For the first time, enlisted personnel will be flying large aerial vehicles — mostly the province of officers throughout the 100-year history of naval aviation.
In contrast, the Air Force allows only officers to pilot its UAS, according to people familiar with the operation.
The Navy’s new “pilot” sailors — probably first-class petty officers and above, Harrison said — will receive a five- to six-month training course.
The officers who are already helicopter pilots will get a shorter version, only five or six weeks.
Source: UT San Diego