Unmanned helicopter makes maiden flight
The US Navy's MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter has taken to the air for the first time.
Built by Northrop Grumman, the UAV took off from Naval Base Ventura County in California on 31 October at 12.05pm local time and flew for seven minutes.
It was then flown again at 2.39pm in a pattern around the air field, reaching an altitude of 500ft.
The MQ-8C is the next step in the US Navy's development of helicopter UAVs for deployment on ships and for special operations forces.
The vehicle operates with the same set of ground controls, sensors and 97% of the same software as its predecessor, the MQ-8B, although it is said to offer longer endurance, range and greater payload capability.
Northrop says the UAV will extend the time in the air to twelve hours, with a range of about 1,200 nautical miles and the ability to conduct an orbit around a ship of up to 150 nautical miles.
The vehicle is expected to be deployed in 2016.
