Long fired from helicopters the advanced
precision kill weapon systems folding
fin 2.75 rockets offer a precision
strike ability smaller than an
air-launched hellfire missile yet still
lethal enough to have a substantial
impact. Arming a ship launched drone with these
weapons with human commanders operating
in a command and control capacity, introduces new forward attack
possibilities in maritime warfare by
enabling other ship launched attack
platforms such as mh60r helicopters to
operate at a safer standoff distance.
A fire scout could for instance operate
beyond line of sight and if directed by
a human, fire weapons upon enemy shore
positions or even small fast attack
boats. The more than three thousand pound fire
scout can fly up to 110 knots at
altitudes of 20,000 feet to conduct
surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The fire scout uses shallow water
counter mine sensors called cobra, for
coastal battlefield reconnaissance and
analysis.
A key element of the armed fire scout
would be to maximize networking as its
northrop grumman developers have
explained that the drone has operated
successfully in autonomous operations
with other drones and surface ships. It has been part of the literal combat
ship's anti-submarine counter mine and
surface warfare mission packages
intended to generate an overall combat
effect through a combination of
helicopters, drones, weapons and surface
ship technologies.
An armed ship launched drone could
dramatically reduce sensor to shooter
time and give commanders a new rapid
response capability should
reconnaissance operations discover
time-sensitive target opportunities.
Land launch drones such as the MQ-9
reaper or the army's MQ-1C grey eagle
have been armed for many years as they
can easily be operated from ground-based
command and control facilities. Performing moving command and control at
sea can of course introduce new
challenges yet the navy is making rapid
progress integrating more drones with
its surface fleet.
The service is even engineering small
drone headquarters onboard aircraft
carriers to leverage the added mission
possibilities afforded by drones. There is also a continued ability for
airborne command and control, meaning a
manned navy helicopter could likely
operate a forward drone while sustaining
connectivity with a host ship, army apache and kiowa helicopters for
example can already control the flight
path and sensor payload of nearby drones. A technical capacity and development now
for many years which brings new tactical
dimensions to airborne attack, using this kind of reconnaissance and
targeting at second. For instance
integrate fire scout unmanned aircraft
with surface and even air drones to
function as meshed relay, combat nodes
within a larger connected maritime
warfare network.
