SEATTLE, June 30, 2004 -- ScanEagle, a low-cost, long-endurance autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle built by Boeing [NYSE:BA] and The Insitu Group, demonstrated the ability to provide persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance coverage during the U.S. Joint Forces Command's recently completed "Forward Look III" exercise.
One of the goals of Forward Look, a series of demonstrations and experiments that began in December 2003 and culminated with the June exercise, was to improve interoperability and increase data fusion among multiple UAVs in operational scenarios.
During the most recent exercise, held near Cherry Point, NC., June 12 to 21, ScanEagle was the only UAV participant able to fly every day and meet all mission requirements.
"ScanEagle proved it has the ability to respond to 'short-fuse' tasking, locate and track large and small targets despite concealment efforts, transmit real-time data and video to those in the field including other UAVs, and operate under the weather when necessary," said Mark LaVille, Boeing's Forward Look mission commander. "I don't know of another low-cost, long-endurance autonomous UAV that has similar capabilities."
As part of Forward Look, ScanEagle was tasked with providing ISR coverage and time-sensitive targeting to a broad network that included UAVs, ground stations, ships at sea, command centers and other airborne assets. ScanEagle used its inertially stabilized electro-optical camera and object tracker to locate and/or track targets including SAM missile launchers, mobile anti-aircraft artillery batteries, communication towers, line-of-communication choke points and military convoys.
ScanEagle also handed off targets, via the existing command and control network, to other UAVs (Predator, Shadow) to track, thereby demonstrating the value of coordinated sensor capability for dissimilar UAVs.
Boeing foresees customers using ScanEagle vehicles individually or in groups to loiter over trouble spots and provide ISR data or communication relay. As standard payload ScanEagle carries either an inertially stabilized electro-optical or an infrared camera. The gimbaled camera allows the operator to easily track both stationary and moving targets, providing real-time intelligence to users. Capable of flying above 16,000 feet, ScanEagle has also demonstrated the ability to provide persistent, low-altitude reconnaissance. Shortly, Boeing and Insitu plan to fly a "dual-bay" configuration with electro-optical and infrared turrets on a single vehicle.
For a vehicle of its size, ScanEagle's endurance/payload combination is unmatched. The UAV, which is four-feet long and has a 10-foot wingspan, can remain on station for more than 15 hours. Future planned variants will have an endurance of more than 30 hours.
Another key design feature of the UAV is its internal avionics bay and modular design. The avionics bay allows seamless integration of new payloads and sensors to meet emerging customer requirements, and ensures the vehicle will be able to incorporate the latest technology as it becomes available. Modules, such as engines and payloads, can be quickly swapped in the field maximizing vehicle flight time.
ScanEagle is launched autonomously via a pneumatic wedge catapult launcher and flies pre-programmed or operator-initiated missions guided by Global Positioning System and its onboard flight-control system. It is retrieved using a "Skyhook" system in which the UAV catches a rope hanging from a 50-foot high pole. The patented system allows ScanEagle to be runway independent and operate from forward fields and ships at sea. In April 2004, ScanEagle performed its first fully autonomous ship-based recovery aboard a 58-foot vessel in Puget Sound, Wash., waters.
Phantom Works, the advanced research and development unit and catalyst of innovation for the Boeing enterprise, is assisting in the development of ScanEagle. Through its Integrated Defense Advanced Systems group, it provides leading edge systems and technology solutions to Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, one the world's largest space and defense businesses.
Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $27 billion business that provides systems solutions to its global military, government and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services.
The Insitu Group, located in Bingen, Wash., develops miniature robotic aircraft for commercial and military applications. Insitu, which introduced the first UAV to cross the Atlantic Ocean, developed its Seascan UAV to serve the commercial fishing industry for fish spotting, and is developing vehicles for other commercial applications. For more information, see the Instu Group web site.