Northrop Grumman's Fire Scout Vertical Unmanned Aircraft System (VUAS) demonstrated how the U.S. Army and other land forces could rely on its ability to ferry unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and other logistics items into combat zones during the Army's recent Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE) at Fort Benning, Ga.

Fire Scout demonstrated how the soldier can rely on its multifunctional capability for force protection, reconnaissance surveillance target acquisition (RSTA) and communications relay that only a VUAS of its caliber can provide.

During the AEWE, Fire Scout flew to a named area of interest, surveyed the area to ensure it was clear, and landed autonomously within its pre-planned landing point.

When Fire Scout's on-board skid sensors detected contact with the ground, a command was sent to release the unmanned ground vehicle.

Seconds later, Fire Scout ascended and then loitered at a higher altitude to observe and provide a relay for commands between the UGV and its controller.

"Use of an unmanned system to carry other unmanned systems into battle could improve the speed of operations while protecting U.S. lives," said Al Nikolaus, program manager of land-based Fire Scout at Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector.

"This demonstration provides another example of Fire Scout's maturity, reliability, flexibility, and its ability to operate successfully with currently deployed systems."