The U.S. Navy completed the first ship-based testing of the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter earlier this month aboard the guided-missile destroyer, USS Jason Dunham. The Fire Scout first landed on December 16 while the ship was under way off the coast of Virginia.

Based on the Bell 407 helicopter, the MQ-8C is designed to fly twice as long or with three times the payload capacity of the Navy’s current MQ-8B, which is based on the smaller Sikorsky-Schweizer 333. In combination with the manned Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk, the Fire Scout extends the range and endurance of ship-based search and targeting support. Prime contractor Northrop Grumman and the Navy conducted the first flight of the MQ-8C on October 31, 2013 from the Point Mugu range at Naval Base Ventura County in California.

The “dynamic interface” testing on board the Dunham aimed to verify the system’s launch and recovery procedures before the MQ-8C begins operational tests in 2015. During the five-day test period, operators performed three flights and 32 takeoffs and recoveries, flying the helicopter from the ship’s ground control station. The data collected will help testers assess the system’s performance at different combinations of wind and ship motion, according to the Naval Air Systems Command.

“By better understanding ship operations, we will have a smoother transition into operational test,” said Capt. Jeff Dodge, the Navy’s Fire Scout program manager. “This exercise gives us insight into operating from an air-capable ship and will help us mitigate any risk associated with the system.”

The Navy plans to procure 40 MQ-8C systems, consisting of two airframes each, to support Littoral Combat Ship and other air-capable vessels. The Navy has thus far ordered 19 of the helicopters, including two test aircraft.