Fire Scout Scores First-Ever Drug Bust with McInerney: "During a routine test flight, a MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Take-off and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) supported its first drug interdiction with USS McInerney (FFG 8) and a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (USCG LEDET) Apr. 3.
McInerney launched one of its two embarked Fire Scout's to test different functions and settings when it acquired a suspected narcotics 'go-fast' on radar. The Mission Payload Operator completed testing and received permission to pursue.
Over the course of three hours, Fire Scout monitored the go-fast with McInerney. With its state-of-the-art optics and extremely small profile, Fire Scout was able to maintain an unprecedented covert posture while feeding real-time video back to McInerney.
Fire Scout proceeded to capture video of the 'go-fast' meeting with a fishing vessel for what appeared to be a refueling/logistics transfer. McInerney and its embarked USCG LEDET moved in and seized approximately 60 kilos of cocaine and caused the suspected traffickers to jettison another approximately 200 kilos of narcotics."
