MQ-8C Completes Integrated Training on Littoral Ships

US Navy, April 30, 2022 - PHILIPPINE SEA by Lt.j.g. Mohammad Issa – The Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Jackson (LCS 6) completed underway return to flight operations of the Navy’s unmanned helicopter, the MQ-8C Fire Scout, in the Philippine Sea, April 20.

The flights at sea were a conclusion of MQ-8 operational testing to return to routine flights on Littoral Combat Ships deployed to the Indo-Pacific. The MQ-8C, assigned to the “Wildcards” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23, attached to Jackson, operated simultaneously with the squadron’s MH-60S Seahawk helicopter.

The completion of the return to flight operations will allow the MQ-8C to continue to operate concurrently with other ships and airborne assets as operations require. In recent weeks, the “Blackjacks” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 also completed return to flight operations for their MQ-8B Fire Scout variants, assigned to USS Tulsa (LCS 16) and USS Charleston (LCS 18) on deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

“It’s great to be flying the MQ-8C again, especially for an extended period with our MH-60S,” said Lt. Cmdr. Richard Mooney, head of HSC-23 detachment attached to Jackson. “Coordinated manned-unmanned operations like these provide numerous advantages to our surface combatants.”

MQ-8B and C Fire Scout variants are designed for suitably equipped ship-based and land-based autonomous systems. MQ-8B and C Fire Scout combined with MH-60S extend Naval Aviation’s capability to support maritime operations providing integrated, over-the-horizon intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting, and combat logistics support.

Fire Scout operations are a whole-ship effort, requiring effective coordination between the aviation and surface entities aboard.

“I am extremely proud of our crew and the HSC-23 detachment for their planning and execution in getting the MQ-8C in the air,” said Cmdr. Brian Bungay, commanding officer, Jackson. “We’re excited to build on this success and continue to increase the LCS’s war-fighting capability.”

Attached to DESRON 7, Jackson is on a rotational deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the region, and to work alongside allied and partner navies to provide maritime security and stability, key pillars of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

As the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed destroyer squadron in Southeast Asia, DESRON 7 serves as the primary tactical and operational commander of littoral combat ships rotationally deployed to Singapore, functions as Expeditionary Strike Group 7’s Sea Combat Commander, and builds partnerships through training exercises and military-to-military engagements.

USS Montgomery (LCS 8) Completes Integrated Training with Navy’s Newest Unmanned Helicopter

PACIFIC OCEAN by Lt.j.g. Sam Hardgrove – The Navy’s newest unmanned helicopter, the MQ-8C Fire Scout, completed operational integration training aboard Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8), April 21.

During two weeks of flight operations the unmanned helicopter attached to the “Wildcards” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23, performed various over-the-horizon intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance training missions using the littoral combat ship as a floating landing and refueling platform for continuous operations. As a result, Montgomery received real-time data from the airborne MQ-8C, allowing the ship to look beyond its traditional radar horizon to identify, track and target hostile surface combatants.

“This iteration of the Fire Scout truly increases the lethality of the littoral combat ship,” said Cmdr. Dustin Lonero, commanding officer aboard Montgomery. “It provides an unmatched duration of intelligence and reconnaissance capability that allows our ship to find and engage the enemy before they can find us.”

An upgrade from the B-variant, the MQ-8C brings significant improvements to the Navy’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mission capability. Designed to support distributed maritime operations, the MQ-8C can remain airborne for over twice as long as it’s predecessor, while its increased size allows the helicopter to carry more mission equipment and provide combat logistics support.

“Operating the MQ-8C from a littoral combat ship is a perfect combination,” said Lt. Brian Larson, an MQ-8C pilot at HSC-23. “Whether operating in the open ocean or the littoral waters close to shore, this combination of ship and unmanned aircraft brings a new level of mission versatility and targeting capability over a longer period of time, which makes our Navy more accurate and lethal.”
Additionally, Montgomery embarked an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, also assigned to HSC-23, for combined airborne operations.
“It’s a unique opportunity to control the airspace for both manned and unmanned aircraft at the same time,” said Chief Operations Specialist Megan Davis, one of Montgomery’s tactical air controllers. “By the end of the training, their combined operations with our LCS felt seamless and it felt like the future.”

HSC-23’s mission is to provide manned and unmanned maritime attack and combat support capabilities to the fleet. Their inherent versatility enables full-spectrum warfighting support across multiple mission-sets and diverse and distributed platforms.

The littoral combat ship is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. The LCS is capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence.