The Northrop Grumman Corporation-built MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing tactical unmanned aerial vehicle marked a new single-day flight record of 18 hours.

US Navy operators achieved the record using a single aircraft in a series of endurance flights from the USS Halyburton (FFG 40). Fire Scout is providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data to support anti-piracy missions while deployed on the ship for the Navy’s 5th Fleet.

“We’ve continually worked with the Navy to enhance Fire Scout since its last deployment to meet these types of operational needs,” said George Vardoulakis, Vice President for tactical unmanned systems for Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems sector. “These flights not only demonstrated Fire Scout’s maturity, it showed how the system provides a much-needed extension for gathering crucial information during peacekeeping or wartime missions.”