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'ScanEagle' is a low cost, long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle built by Boeing and Insitu.
ScanEagle is a descendant of another Insitu UAV, SeaScan, which was conceived of as a remote sensor for collecting weather data as well as helping commercial fishermen locate and track schools of tuna. ScanEagle emerged as the result of a strategic alliance between The Boeing Company and Insitu. The resulting technology has been successful as a portable Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) for autonomous surveillance in the battlefield, and has been deployed since August 2004 in the Iraq War.
ScanEagle carries an inertially stabilized electro-optical and/or infrared camera on a light-weight inertially stabilized turret system integrated with communications range over 100 km, and flight endurance of 20+ hours. ScanEagle has a 10-foot wingspan and can fly up to 75 knots. Block D aircraft featured a higher resolution camera, a custom-designed Mode C transponder and a new video system. A Block D aircraft, flying at Boeing's test range in Boardman, Oregon set a type endurance record of 22 hours, 8 minutes.^[1]
ScanEagle needs no airfield to deploy. Instead, it is launched using a pneumatic launcher designed as part of a university engineering design project, now patented by Insitu as the "SuperWedge" launcher. It is recovered using the "SkyHook" retrieval system, which uses a hook on the end of the wingtip to catch a rope hanging from a 30 to 50-foot pole. This is made possible by a high-quality differential GPS units mounted on the top of the pole and UAV. The rope is attached to a shockcord to reduce stress on the airframe imposed by the violent stop.

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External links

References

1. "Boeing ScanEagle achieves major flight milestones", ''Aerotech News & Review'', November 23, 2006

External links

★ DefenseLink article on ScanEagle deployment in Iraq.

★ Insitu home page, with links to pictures and video of ScanEagle.

★ Video of ScanEagle takeoff and caputure.