US Army repurposes retired Navy MQ-8C Fire Scout helicopters

The U.S. Army has begun flight testing four MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters that were originally slated for retirement by the U.S. Navy. By repurposing these divested assets, the Army aims to evaluate new sensor packages under realistic flight conditions while avoiding more than $70 million in procurement costs.

The Navy began divesting the MQ-8C fleet in February 2024, with a full sundown expected by the end of fiscal year 2026. During the divestment process, the Multi-Mission Tactical UAS Program Office (PMA-266) coordinated with the Army's Redstone Test Center to transition the aircraft, mobile mission control systems, and support equipment instead of sending them to long-term storage in Arizona.

Following inspections in California, the equipment was delivered to Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, in July 2025. The Army is utilizing the helicopters as captive-carry testbeds, a method that allows engineers to mount and collect data from sensors without releasing the payload, providing a cost-effective way to test equipment without dedicated test aircraft.