The U.S. Navy is moving closer to conducting Technical Evaluation with its Northrop Grumman Corporation-developed (NYSE:NOC) MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV). The Fire Scout recently completed its first flight with the BRITE Star II® electro-optical/infrared payload using a Tactical Common Data Link (TCDL). The flight took place on August 9th, 2008 at Webster Field, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. "Starting payload integration and data link flight testing is a major milestone for the VTUAV program," said Doug Fronius, MQ-8B Fire Scout VTUAV program director for Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector. "Completing the first series of payload and TCDL flights brings the entire VTUAV system into flight test and puts Fire Scout one step closer to shipboard integration and testing."