NAVAL AIR STATION NORTH ISLAND, CA – Some people envision them as the future of naval aviation. Others consider them deadly by-products of a developing technology to fight and win the global war on terror. But most people just call them “drones.”
At Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) they are called unmanned air vehicles (UAV). And they are part of the command’s increasing workload to service the weapons and tools of an industry that is now in its infancy.
In April Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) designated FRCSW as the airframe component source of repair for the MQ-8B Fire Scout, a UAV helicopter primarily used by the Navy for reconnaissance purposes.
The MQ-8B is deployable from any naval vessel with aircraft-launching abilities. It was first deployed in 2009 and by the end of 2013, logged more than 10,000 flight hours including missions in Afghanistan.
Manufactured by Northrop Grumman, the Fire Scout is operated by a fixed control system for shipboard use, or a portable system for ground forces use. It can operate for five continuous hours.
FRCSW’s initial workload on the Fire Scout entails modifications and corrosion prohibiting improvements to a UAV assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 (HSC-23), which was inducted at the HSC-23 hangar shortly after the NAVAIR designation.
Fleet Support Team avionics leader Darryl McQueary said that artisans are installing a warfighter capability upgrade to the 31-foot UAV that will provide a full motion video for use under special operations.
Aircraft electrician Kevin Fishel said that the modification will substantially improve the line of sight for surveillance teams.
“Under the corrosion modification, all of the antennas get new gaskets and we inspect and remove any corrosion of the aircraft’s frame, and all of the aircraft gets covered with Skyflex Tape®, which is a sealer tape between the panel and the airframe to seal the panels in place to eliminate any water intrusion,” said Pete Fuentes, In-Service Repair/Crash Damage supervisor.
“Leakage points were noticed inside of the aircraft where moisture can get in which corrodes the airframe causing de-laminations,” Fishel said. “So we’re installing these materials to form a better seal.”
Fuentes added that a radar modification is tentatively scheduled as part of the command’s future workload on the UAV.
“Northrop Grumman owns all of the drawings for that, and we’re trying to figure out the logistics as far as getting parts down the line,” he said.
For now, FRCSW has eight artisans assigned to the Fire Scout: four electricians, three sheet metal mechanics and one mechanic for the re-assembly phase. Artisans completed one week of training at FRC East, where Fire Scout services are also performed, and two weeks of Northrup Grumman training in the HSC-23 hangar.
“We’re in the verification and validation process right now,” Fuentes said.
“We’re trying to figure out how to best do the actual work. We have an engineer (McQueary) on-hand who watches us and provides any guidance. We’re also qualifying our personnel on the MQ8. And we have one mechanic in a five-week school right now through Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) who will learn everything about the aircraft down to its nuts and bolts.”
FRCSW is scheduled to expand its services to the Fire Scout next year by including Aircraft Condition Inspections (ACI) of the UAV.
“The ACI is like a planned maintenance interval (PMI) event: We will have the specifications to go through every zone and check what we’re instructed to look for. We’ll do the disassembly, repairs and reassembly. The exact processes for the event are still being established,” Fuentes said.
He said that FRCSW will tentatively handle Fire Scout ACI workload for the aircraft located on the West Coast.
Unmanned Air Systems logistics management specialist Jaime Riddle said that the command will conduct up to four ACI Fire Scout events beginning next year.
“I believe there are 22 or 26 Fire Scouts at (Naval Base Ventura County) Point Mugu and we’ll be starting with those. These are deployed for about six or seven months at the detachments and when they’re finished, they’ll come to an ACI event,” Fuentes said.
FRCSW will return the Fire Scouts to the squadrons after completing ACI services. Squadrons will perform ground checks, and return the aircraft to Northrop Grumman who will complete a functional flight check prior to reassignment to Point Mugu squadrons for deployment.
“This is a brand new venture for us and we’re looking forward to starting it and expanding the program. We’re just now getting a lot of the support equipment like the stands and trailers and tow bars,” Fuentes said.
“The next helicopter will be done in-house. We’re not sure when the next one will be in as it is intermittent, but I think the future work will be done in Building 325 (P-880),” he said.
The Navy plans to buy more than 90 MQ-8B and C model Fire Scouts. The MQ-8C is a larger UAV, with a longer operating capacity.