Direct MH-60S, Fire Scout Link Enhances Fleet’s Situational Awareness

The U.S. Navy now has the opportunity to enhance the situational awareness of the surface fleet, after a successful demonstration that linked the MH-60S maritime helicopter with the Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle for the first time.

The Navy and industry partners Lockheed Martin, L-3 and Telephonics flew four flights in October 2011 at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station that demonstrated the MH-60S’s and the Fire Scout’s ability to directly communicate with each other. This capability could vastly improve situational awareness and reduce risk by increasing the Fire Scout’s range, while keeping the MH-60S crew out of reach of potential danger.

For the demonstration, the Navy provided the Fire Scout and Lockheed Martin coordinated with the industry team to install equipment on board the MH-60S, including the Telephonics radar and the L3 VORTEX data link. The Fire Scout is already equipped with an L3 VORTEX data link.

The live FLIR (forward looking infrared) video feed permits a quick situational assessment and faster reaction times since the crew receives an instant, simultaneous feed of radar for broad area surveillance. The Fire Scout also can designate a target for the MH-60S, creating a hunter-killer team to protect the ship.

Currently, the Fire Scout and MH-60S often operate in tandem but cannot communicate with each other. The information the Fire Scout gathers must be sent back to the ship before being transmitted to the MH-60S and other platforms. In addition, controllers on board ship direct the Fire Scout, which limits its range.