The Navy and Army have transferred four MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters from a scheduled disposal program to the U.S. Army Redstone Test Center in Alabama, completing the transition within 14 months and saving the Army over $70 million in procurement costs.
The Navy began divesting the MQ-8C Fire Scout platform in February 2024, with final disposal scheduled for the end of fiscal 2026. In November 2024, the Army requested the aircraft for testing purposes. Military officials conducted a site visit to Point Mugu, California, in December 2024 to assess the helicopters, and the Army submitted a formal request for four aircraft in January 2025. The request was approved in May 2025, and all four aircraft along with control systems and support equipment were delivered to Redstone Arsenal by July 2025.
Ground testing completed in August 2025, followed by flight operations at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah and Redstone Arsenal. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Taylor Kiel, test director with the Redstone Test Center's Aviation Flight Test Directorate, noted that the effort provided hands-on maintenance experience and built aircrew confidence.
The 14-month timeline from request to operational flight testing represented a significant acceleration for military procurement. "Repurposing these MQ-8C assets from storage to active testing is a major acquisition win for both services," said Marine Corps Col. Leigh Irwin, the program office manager.
The transfer generated additional cost savings in research, development, testing and evaluation, contracts, and personnel beyond the $70 million in procurement savings, military officials said.