The Navy expects to begin operations of its unmanned fixed-wing Triton and the larger version of the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter in 2018. That’s according to Pat Buckley, the Navy’s deputy program executive officer for unmanned aerial systems. He said the MQ-4C Triton, the maritime version of the Global Hawk, and the MQ-8C version of the Fire Scout would reach initial operational capability in 2018. He also said a surface-search radar and possibly a weapons capability would be added to the MQ-8C in 2019. Fuselage work on Global Hawk variants and finishing work on Fire Scouts is done by Northrop Grumman in Moss Point, Miss. (Source: Seapower magazine, 10/29/15)