Fire Scout Returns from First Operational Deployment: "The MQ-8B Fire Scout, a Vertical Takeoff and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV), returned from its first operational deployment April 15.
The VTUAV was embarked aboard USS McInerney (FFG 8) during their recent six-month deployment to the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Area of Responsibility.
Fire Scout is an autonomously controlled helicopter used by McInerney to scan waters for drug smugglers.
Senior Chief Aviation Electronics Technician (AW/SW) Stephen Diets, the fleet liaison for Fire Scout and one of the first enlisted air vehicle operators (AVO), said Fire Scout has the advantage of being able to hover unlike traditional Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).
McInerney is the first ship to support Fire Scout-one of the Navy's newest unmanned flight technologies.
'It's one of the Navy's newest systems, we brought it to bear on the mission, and it has challenged us to think in new ways to accomplish our goals,' said Cmdr. Paul Young, McInerney's commanding officer.
McInerney is the first ship to make a drug bust using a VTUAV with a drug interdiction April 3. Fire Scout was on a post-maintenance check flight when the operators spotted suspected narcotics smugglers.
'We got the first Fire Scout drug bust on the deployment, it was very exciting, and it's mostly thanks to all the hard work by the air detachment's maintainers,' said Diets."
