MQ-8C Fire Scout

MQ-8C's vertical takeoff and landing system allows it to launch from aviation-capable ships and from prepared or unprepared landing zones ashore. It carries surveillance equipment away from the launch site and returns sensor information to operators, extending the area they can observe from a ship or ground position.

The larger airframe provides substantially more payload capacity and endurance than the earlier MQ-8B. This gives mission planners more capacity for sensors and longer observation periods between recoveries. Autonomous flight functions handle launch and recovery while the system supports remotely supervised intelligence collection.