Boeing ScanEagle

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A US Marine holds a ScanEagle in Iraq.
A US Marine holds a ScanEagle in Iraq.
A ScanEagle in its catapult launcher
A ScanEagle in its catapult launcher
A ScanEagle is recovered at sea aboard the destroyer USS Oscar Austin
A ScanEagle is recovered at sea aboard the destroyer USS Oscar Austin

ScanEagle is a low cost, long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built by Boeing and Insitu.

[edit] Design and development

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 Boeing 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 (3 m) wingspan and can fly up to 75 knots (139 km/h). 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 (15 m) 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.

In addition to the United States military, the Australian Army also operates the ScanEagle UAV.[2]

On March 18, 2008 Boeing, with ImSAR and Insitu successfully flight-tested a ScanEagle with a Nano-SAR radar mounted aboard. The Nano-SAR is the world's smallest Synthetic Aperture Radar, weighs two pounds and is roughly the size of a shoe box. It is designed to provide high quality real-time ground imaging through adverse weather conditions or other battlefield obsurants.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Boeing ScanEagle achieves major flight milestones", Aerotech News & Review, November 23, 2006
  2. ^ Army Technology/, Defense Jobs of Australia
  3. ^ Boeing Flight-Tests 2-Pound Imaging Radar Aboard ScanEagle Unmanned Aircraft, Boeing, March 18, 2008.

[edit] External links

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