The U.S. Navy’s MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) stands tall after a day of flight operations onboard the USS McInerney (FFG-8).

A state-of-the-art unmanned helicopter is about to begin military service bringing a new remote controlled killing device into the world of warring. The drone chopper — known as the Fire Scout — is the latest addition to a growing list of robotic combat vehicles that remove the need to put human soldiers in the line of fire.

Developed by American aerospace and defence company Northrop-Grumman, the aircraft will be able to carry out missions based on a set of instructions programmed into it.

The US Navy has announced it will shortly begin using the cutting-edge weapon in America’s war on drugs.

Next month the 22-foot-long and nine-foot-high gadget will be aboard the USS McInerney when it deploys for a counter-drug mission in the Caribbean.