MQ-8 UAV

Abstract

Note: This budget prioritizes system wholeness to ensure program of record capabilities are fully integrated and support fleet requirements. System wholeness supports completion of MQ-8C operational test requirements, development of radar, weapons, and other payloads, and component redesign required to maintain system hardware. The MQ-8 Unmanned Air System is a Joint Military Intelligence Program. The MQ-8 Unmanned Air System is popularly known as "Fire Scout". The Department conducted a Title 10 Section 2433 (Nunn-McCurdy Breach) review on the MQ-8 program in 2014 due to a unit cost breach and certified a restructured program to Congress on 16 June 2014. The restructured program includes MQ-8B air vehicles procured under the original program of record (POR), MQ-8C air vehicles (Endurance Upgrade) procured under the Department of the Navy's Rapid Deployment Capability (RDC) procurement process, and additional MQ-8C air vehicles to be procured to complete the program Fleet requirements, and associated Mission Control Systems (MCS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Common Automatic Recovery Systems (UCARS) and support equipment. In addition to the air vehicles, Radar and Weapons capabilities were developed under the Navy's RDC authorities. All acquisition actions previously planned under the RDCs have transitioned into the restructured POR. Current FY16 analysis has determined that a total fleet requirement of 60 air vehicles (51 procurement and 9 RDT&EN / 30 MQ-8Bs and 30 MQ-8Cs) will satisfy current needs thus reducing the total number of MQ-8C production air vehicles to a quantity of 30, a decrement of 10 from previous budget submits. The MQ-8B-based system achieved Milestone C (MS C) in May 2007. The Nunn-McCurdy certification process revoked the program's MS C approval. MS C for the restructured MQ-8 program is currently scheduled for FY 2017. The MQ-8 System provides real-time and non-real-time Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) data to tactical users without the use of manned aircraft or reliance on limited joint theater or national assets. The baseline MQ-8 can accomplish missions including over-the-horizon tactical reconnaissance, classification, targeting and laser designation and battle damage assessment (including voice communications relay). Development efforts respond to emerging fleet requirements through integration and improvements to Common Operational Picture capabilities, avionics, payloads, range, endurance, and targeting. The MQ-8 launches and recovers vertically, and can operate from suitably-equipped air capable ships, as well as confined area land bases. Interoperability is achieved through the use of the Tactical Control System (TCS) software in the MCS, also referred to as a Ground Control Station (GCS), and through the use of the Tactical Common Data Link (TCDL). The data from the MQ-8 is provided through standard DoD Command, Control, Communications, Computers and ISR (C4ISR) system architectures and protocols. A deployed MQ-8 system includes air vehicle(s), payloads (i.e. electro-optical/infrared/laser designator-range finder, Automated Identification System, voice communications relay, Radar, Weapons, and other specialty payloads), MCS (with TCS and TCDL integrated for interoperability), a UCARS for automatic launch and recovery, and associated spares and support equipment. The schedules for MCS and UCARS components are based on host ship requirements, while schedules for air vehicle components, support equipment, and training equipment are based on operational deployment plans. A limited number of land-based mission control systems supplement the shipboard systems to support shore-based operations, such as pre-deployment or acceptance functional check flights. These land-based mission control stations will also support depot-level maintenance/post-maintenance activities. The MQ-8C provides additional mission endurance and payload-weight-power, increased reliability, and improved maintainability to the MQ-8 Fire Scout System. MQ-8 systems will support missions on Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and/or suitably-equipped air capable ships. Quantities of air vehicles are derived from LCS and/or suitably-equipped air capable ship deployment requirements for Surface Warfare and Mine Countermeasures mission sets. The MQ-8 Radar capability is the initial effort as part of the Surface Warfare (SUW) Increment of the MQ-8C. A maritime Radar has been competitively selected for integration into the MQ-8C Fire Scout System. This system will provide the MQ-8 operators and the supported Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) crew enhanced situational awareness of the Recognized Maritime Picture (RMP) by providing multiple operational modes to include surface search, track, Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) maritime target classification, and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) target classification capabilities. The maritime Radar will be fully integrated with the Mission Control Systems (MCS) and ship's combat systems providing data in standardized format for ease of dissemination to other users.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2018
• Source ID: 0305231N_7_1319_PB_2018
• Change Summary Explanation: Technical: FYDP funding increase supports Radar development, MQ-8C and Radar test requirements, and MQ-8C Weapons development. Radar and weapons increases support requirements outlined in the MQ-8C Capabilities Production Document (CPD). Test increases support completion of test team transition from contractor to government, DT and OT events to meet IOC, and deployment dates. Future payload efforts will be considered when developing current efforts. Schedule: Updated Milestone C decision and other milestones to align to the restructured MQ-8 program. Updated Radar capability contract awards, payloads efforts, and reviews to align to the restructured MQ-8 program. Updated production and delivery schedules for the current production plan.
• Service Agency Name: Navy

Entities

Organizations

• United States Navy

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Air Platforms
• Autonomy
• Ground and Sea Platforms
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Acquisition
• Air Capable Ships
• Aircrafts
• Collision Avoidance Systems
• Contracts
• Control Systems
• Deployment
• Engineering
• Ground Control Stations
• Littoral Combat Ships
• Logistics
• Procurement
• Synthetic Aperture Radar
• Target Classification
• Test And Evaluation
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• Warfare

Fields of Study

• Engineering

Readers

• Naval Mine Countermeasure Systems Development.
• Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.

Technology Areas

• Autonomy
• Autonomy - UAVs
• Directed Energy
• Fully Networked C3
• Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control