Leonardo-Finmeccanica to supply AESA radar for unmanned helicopter

The U.S. Navy is ordering an AESA radar system for the upgraded MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter from Leonardo-Finmeccanica in Rome, Italy. Under a contract issued by the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., the company is to deliver five of the AESA radar units for testing and evaluation. The contract contains an option to buy a larger quantity of the radars for use in real operations aboard the MQ-8C Fire Scout. The Osprey radar uses electronic beam technology to scan from high in the sky to detect threats beyond the range of standard ship-based sensors in all environmental conditions, when visibility is extremely poor.