Northrop Grumman's RQ-8A Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) test fires the second of two Mark (MK) 66 2.75-inch unguided rockets during weapons testing at Arizona's Yuma Proving Grounds. The Fire Scout has the ability to autonomously take off and land from any aviation-capable warship and at unprepared landing zones, with an on-station endurance of over four hours. The Fire Scout system is capable of continuous operations, providing coverage at 110 nautical miles from the launch site. Utilizing a baseline payload that includes electro-optical/infrared sensors and a laser rangefinder/designator the Fire Scout can find and identify tactical...

The original finding aid described this photograph as:

[Complete] Scene Caption: Northrop Grumman's RQ-8A Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) test fires the second of two Mark (MK) 66 2.75-inch unguided rockets during weapons testing at Arizona's Yuma Proving Grounds. The Fire Scout has the ability to autonomously take off and land from any aviation-capable warship and at unprepared landing zones, with an on-station endurance of over four hours. The Fire Scout system is capable of continuous operations, providing coverage at 110 nautical miles from the launch site. Utilizing a baseline payload that includes electro-optical/infrared sensors and a laser rangefinder/designator the Fire Scout can find and identify tactical targets, track and designate targets, accurately provide targeting data to strike platforms, employ precision weapons, and perform battle damage assessment.

Base: Yuma Proving Ground

State: Arizona (AZ)

Country: United States Of America (USA)

Scene Camera Operator: Tim Paynter, CIV

Release Status: Released to Public
Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files