NAVAIR press release.
I wonder if this is a done deal. I had thought that the other UAV helicopter types might have a chance to bump the FireScout out of Navy service. This article indicates that is not the case.In the future, FRC East will repair approximately 60 of the Fire Scout’s components. Artisans are receiving hands-on training by working with the FST and Northrup Grumman engineers.
The Navy will field 121 Fire Scouts, once the platform is fully deployed. The inventory currently stands at seven – one trainer, two at Northrup Grumman for developmental testing, and four the Navy flies during operational evaluations.
The two MQ-8B’s at FRC East should be back in the Fleet about mid-June.