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ScanEagle launch(click to view full)

ScanEagle BCAS launch(click for alternate view)

Jun 24, 2014 15:45 UTC by Defense Industry Dailystaff

From Dolphins to Destroyers: The ScanEagle UAV

ScanEagle’s base Insight UAV platform was originally developed by Washingtonstate’s Insitu, Inc. to track dolphins and tuna from fishing boats, in order to ensurethat the fish you buy in supermarkets is “dolphin-safe”. It turns out that the samecharacteristics needed by fishing boats (able to handle salt water environments, lowinfrastructure launch and recovery, small size, 20-hour long endurance, automatedflight patterns) are equally important for naval operations from larger vessels, and forbattlefield surveillance. A partnership with Boeing took ScanEagle to market in thosefields, and the USMC’s initial buy in 2004 was the beginning of a market-leadingposition in its niche.

This article covers recent developments with the ScanEagle UAV system, which isquickly evolving into a mainstay with the US Navy and its allies. Incumbency doesn’t last long in the fast-changingworld of UAVs, though. Insitu’s own RQ-21 Integrator is looking to push the ScanEagle aside, and new multiple-award contracts in the USA are creating opportunities for other competitors. Can Insitu’s original stay strong?

The ScanEagle Family

The ScanEagle is solidly based on Insitu’s original “Insight” platform, with differentvariants distinguished by their payloads and accompanying equipment rather thantheir aerodynamic design. The UAVs are launched by catapult, and autonomouslyrecovered using a folding “skyhook” and catch-line. These UAVs fill a niche betweenhand-launched mini-UAVs like Aerovironment’s RQ-11 Raven or Elbit’s Skylark I,and runway-capable tactical UAVs like Textron’s RQ-7 Shadow, Aeronautics DS’Aerostar, or IAI’s Searcher II. Its long endurance is actually superior to its tacticalUAV competitors, but its payload weight limit is significantly smaller.

ScanEagle has been demonstrated or used from a wide variety of ship classes andtypes, and the family includes a number of specialty variants from sniper locator, to bio-warfare agent detection

(BCAS). A NightEagle conversion kit adds a different front end with thermal imaging sensors, and allows fieldconversion of ScanEagle aircraft in 2-3 hours. More drastic modifications are found in the ScanEagle

Compressed Carriage (SECC), whose smaller fold-out wings allow it to be launched from an aircraft pylon, or asubmarine.

Setup & useclick for video

That combination of versatility, long endurance, and small size appears to besucceeding in the global defense marketplace, without really impairing the market fortactical UAVs.

Boeing has had field representatives in theater for a few years now to support andoperate the ScanEagle UAV from ships and ashore, receiving high battlefield praise and a fairly regular stream ofcontracts from the USA and Australia. Canada and Malaysia have signed on for battlefield surveillance services,the Dutch are using ScanEagle as an interim UAV, Poland and Singapore have purchased the platform, Japan istesting it, and a US Navy presentation suggests that the Colombian, Iraqi, and Tunisian navies are using it. Othercustomers wait in the wings, with reported interest from Kuwait, and Pakistan, among others.

Competition from Without – and Within

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Aerosonde 4.7(click to view full)

The UAV field continues to change quickly. The latest US Navy ISR contract willhave ScanEagle competing against the Aerosonde-G for naval buys of UAV services,and against both AAI’s Aerosonde G and Arcturus’ T-20 for land-based surveillancemissions. SOCOM’s MEUAS contracts have also become a de facto competitionwith AAI’s Aersonde.

Insitu’s flagship product will also have to contend with an internal competitor. Thefirm has begun to offer a next-generation “Integrator” platform, which was picked asthe US Navy and Marine Corps’ next-generation RQ-21A Small Tactical UnmannedAircraft System (STUAS-II). It’s also reported that service contracts with other

countries will begin incorporating the RQ-21, either as a main UAV or as a switch-in option.

The RQ-21A Integrator boosts endurance to over 24 hours, and raises maximum payload from about 13.2pounds/ 6 kg to about 50 pounds / 23 kg. Wingspan rises from about 10.2 feet/ 3.1m to 15.8 feet/ 4.8m, and bodylength rises from 3.9 feet/ 12m to 7 feet/ 2.1m. Its sensor package will be a bit more versatile, too, with TV zoomand mid-wave infrared cameras, plus an infrared marker and a laser rangefinder (but not, yet, a target designator),all in a single package, instead of the ScanEagle’s swap-in options. Launch and recovery methods are the sameas the ScanEagle’s, and use the same equipment.

Integrator will not be covered in this article except for contracts that shift away from the ScanEagle to the newplatform, and equally significant milestones that affect ScanEagle’s future.

Contracts and Key Events: 2008 – Present

Eye in the Sky

Unless otherwise noted, contracts are issued by the Naval Air Systems Command inPatuxent River, MD. As of July 2008, Insitu Inc. is a Boeing subsidiary. Note that RQ-21A Integrator contracts won’t be covered here, unless they have a substantial impacton the ScanEagle’s future.

FY 2014

Australian reportclick for video

June 22/14: UK. The Royal Navy is now using drones from its ships on operations:

“Just 7 months after the Ministry of Defence ordered the system from BoeingDefence UK, footage released today, 22 June, shows ScanEagle taking flight

from [the Type 23 frigate] HMS Somerset in the [Persian] Gulf.”

Sources: UK MoD, “Royal Navy’s new eyes in the sky”.

June 2014: USCG. The ScanEagle’s performance with the US Coast Guard may yet make it the service’s 1stship-borne UAV, after successful drug busts aboard one of the new frigate-sized National Security Cutters:

“At a joint House Transportation and Foreign Affairs Committee hearing looking at maritime druginterdiction efforts, Adm. Robert Papp, commandant of the Coast Guard prior to his retirement inMay, said the service is continuing to test ScanEagles…. The Coast Guard will pursue anacquisition program, he confirmed.”

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Small boat pickup(click to view full)

Sources: NDIA National Defense magazine, “Coast Guard Closer to Acquiring Ship-Based Drones”.

Jan 12/14: Japan. Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force is looking for ways to improve surveillance, in the wakeof Chinese provocations and aggressive territorial claims. Their constitution bars aircraft carriers, but they’d like totry small UAVs that can be launched from destroyers. ScanEagle is already being trialed in Japan, which makes itthe natural choice if Japan wants to trial live flights during the FY 2014 budget request’s YEN 2 million research(about $23,600) research phase.

If the JMSDF goes ahead, they’ll buy up to 19 systems. Textron’s Aerosonde can offer a competitor, Northrop andRaytheon have BAT UAVs, and even Boeing has a 2nd UAV up their sleeve in the RQ-21 Integrator. Sources:Japan Times: “MSDF looks to deploy drones on destroyers”.

Jan 7/14: Iraq. Now that Prime Minister Maliki’s sectarian approach to governing has produced predictablerebellion and insurgency in Sunni areas, the USA is shipping Iraq some weapons and equipment, even as heavierequipment finds itself blocked by Sen. Menendez [D-NJ], and many other senators are voicing concerns. ArmyCol. Steven Warren:

“We’re expediting delivery of 10 operational ScanEagles for part of the original purchase, as well asan additional four nonoperational ScanEagles, which will be sent to help facilitate maintenance ofthe original 10.”

They’ll act as Iraq’s high-end UAV, compared to the 48 Raven mini-UAVs slated for delivery in the spring. Sources:Pentagon, “DOD Speeds Delivery of Surveillance Assets to Iraq” | The Daily Beast, “Congress to Iraq’s Maliki: NoArms for a Civil War”.

Nov 19/13: UAE. Tawazun subsidiary Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments (ADASI) expands on aprevious marketing and training teaming agreements with Boeing Insitu (q.v. Feb 18/13, Nov 15/11), and taken thenext step: they’ll be able to operate and maintain Boeing’s ScanEagle and its larger Integrator UAVs as a servicefor the UAE military, and for “neighbouring allies.” That gives them complete service authority with the UAV, frommarketing, to training, to operation.

ADASI aren’t newcomers to the UAV world. Under the UAE’s Al Sabr program , the firm performed finalassembly of the country’s Schiebel S-100 Camcopter small helicopter UAVs, have been conducting R&D toexpand the VTUAV’s range of carrying platforms, and service the UAE’s fleet. Sources: ADASI release, Nov19/13.

FY 2013

SOCOM MEUAS contract; UK buys ScanEagle; Japan begins trial; Iran copies it from crashed UAVs; Kestrelagreement solidifies moving target detection; Sensor cueing from land robots; Launch & recovery improvements.

Sept 17/13: Poland. Insitu Inc. in Bingen, WA receives $7.3 million for a firm-fixed-price delivery order covering ScanEagle system hardware repairs and modificationsfor Poland. It includes spares, operations and maintenance training, and technicalUAS publications.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA and is expected to be complete in September2014. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD acts as Poland’sagent within the FMS framework (N00019-12-G-0008, #0016).

Sept 16/13: SOCOM. A maximum $300 million, 3-year firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for ScanEagle UAVs, operator services, andmaintenance services in support of US SOCOM’s naval special warfare operators.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, and the contract will run until September

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2016. $85 million in operational and supplemental/OCO funds are committed immediately, and will expire by Sept30/13. Interestingly, the Pentagon says that the “contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1,” which is the “only 1 responsible provider” exemption. That significant language, because Textron subsidiaryAAI’s Aerosonde 4.7G won the MEAUS-II competition (q.v. March 5/12). ScanEagle pushed back in with a $190million, 25-month “unusual and compelling urgency” MEAUS contract in February 2013, and this award appearsto firmly nail down its position as SOCOM’s go-to UAV (N00019-13-D-0016).

US SOCOM

July 26/13: FAA. The US Federal Aviation Administration issues its 1st UAV Restricted Category TypeCertificates, which include the ScanEagle X200. A “major energy company” wants to fly ScanEagle in internationalwaters off of the Alaska coast, surveying ocean ice floes and migrating whale patterns, in order to assess potentialArctic oil exploration areas.

Experimental Airworthiness Certificates have been used for non-government UAV operations in the past, but theydon’t allow commercial use. The FAA says that US military acceptance of the ScanEagle and Puma designs wasan important factor in granting the new Restricted Category certificates, which do allow commercial operations.

That’s going to be a hotter area for UAV manufacturers over the next few years, and for the FAA as well. TheFederal Aviation Administration Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 mandated that the FAA integrate UAVs intodomestic airspace by 2015, but a key deadline establishing 6 pilot sites by August 2012 wasn’t met. These type

certificates are a small step forward, within a larger framework. Sources: US FAA | NDIA’s National Defensemagazine | Seattle Times .

(Restricted) Commercial USA in USA

July 12/13: Industrial. Insitu breaks ground on a new 120,000-square-foot production facility near itsheadquarters in Bingen, WA. The building is expected to be done in August 2014. Sources: Insitu, July 12/13

release.

July 2/13: USCG. The Coast Guard has been pondering its UAS options and requirements for years (vid. Dec1/09 entry). They recently completed the 2nd of 3 planned demonstration phases. They used a ScanEagle duringa 2-week deployment aboard the Bertholf cutter. That led to 90+ hours of flight time, during which the UAV helpedwith a the interception of a cocaine-loaded vessel. That gave them the opportunity to test the daytime camera, thecombination electro-optical/infrared camera, and auto detection software.

The 3rd phase will gather quantitative data aboard a National Security Cutter in early 2014. USCG .

June 20/13: Britain. The Royal Navy signs a GBP 30 million (about $46.9 million) contract to buy ScanEagleUAVs, for use from Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships like the Bay Class amphibious landing ships, as well as surfacecombatants like Britain’s frigates, destroyers, and helicopter carriers. This is the Royal Navy’s 1st sea-launchedUAV, and it will be a big help to a fleet whose number of ships has dwindled, even as it abandoned maritime patrolaircraft.

ScanEagles can also serve as targeting assets for the Royal Marines, and for Navy ships if Britain buys navalweapons that use laser precision guidance. Raytheon’s new Excalibur laser/GPS guided shell is one such naval

option. MBDA’s proposed maritime adaptation of the British Army’s Fire Shadow loitering missile is another.UK MoD .

Britain’s Royal Navy buys in

May 14/13: Japan. Insitu Pacific delivers a ScanEagle Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to its partner MitsubishiHeavy Industries (MHI) of Japan, for a 12-month operational evaluation by the Japanese Ground Self Defence

Forces (JGSDF, see July 11/12 entry). Insitu .

April 24/13: OEF, etc. A $7.8 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to exercise an option forScanEagle/ Nighteagle services until March 2014, in Afghanistan and around the world. $3.6 million is committed

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immediately.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, using FY 2013 Navy wartime supplemental operations and maintenancefunds (N00019-11-C-0061).

April 24/13: NanoSAR next. ImSAR LLC in Springville, UT receives an $8.8 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contractmodification, for “research services in support of the ultra-small aperture radar” (q.v. May 29/12 entry). This bringsthe contract’s cumulative value to $32.8 million.

ImSAR are the makers of the NanoSAR and Leonardo radars. US Army Contracting Command in Natick, MAmanages this contract (W911QY-12-D-0011, 0006).

March 8/13: OEF. Insitu, Inc. in Bingen, WA receives a $7.8 million firm-fixed-price contract modification,exercising an option for ScanEagle operational and maintenance services in Afghanistan, including both day andnight operations.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, and is expected to be complete in January 2014. $3.6 million is committedimmediately, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year on Sept 30/13 (N00019-11-C-0061).

Feb 18/13: UAE. Boeing broadens their ScanEagle support and sustainment agreement with the UAE’s ADASI(vid. Nov 15/11 entry), adding marketing services within the Middle East and North Africa, training services, andthe new Integrator UAV. Boeing VP Debbie Rub reiterated to Gulfnews that this is:

“Not a contract but an agreement to work together. No particular value right now but the regionneeds this capability so they are working together so that we can grow this sort of business. Thereare intensions [sic] with Adasi to establish this as the centre in the Middle East for the ScanEagleand Intergrator contracts.”

See: Boeing | Arabian Aerospace | Gulfnews .

Feb 8/13: Iranian copies. The regime’s PressTV is now showing photos of a production line for ScanEagleUAV knock-offs.

Back on Dec 17/12, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral AliFadavi had said that Iran was producing copies of the ScanEagle, based on drones it had captured. The

Iranian regime says a lot of things about its military capabilities, most of which are fodder only for comedians andthe credulous. This report, on the other hand, was plausible.

Iran has significant aerospace reverse engineering expertise, which it has built up to keep its fleet of Americanfighters and helicopters in the air. They also have some UAV expertise, and Iranian UAVs launched from Lebanonhave been shot down over Israel. Iranian copies may not have the same performance and features as ScanEagle,but it’s reasonable to conclude that for once, Iran is making a military claim in line with its demonstrated

capabilities. Iran’s PressTV .

Feb 6/13: MEUAS, Too. Insitu Inc. in Bingen, WA receives a 25-month Mid-Endurance Unmanned AircraftSystem (MEUAS) indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract from US SOCOM, worth $1 million – $190 million.MEUAS involves contractor-owned and operated equipment on the front lines. Work will be performed in Bingen,WA, and “overseas.” US Special Operations Command at MacDill AFB, FL manages the contract (H92222-13-D-0005). FBO.gov justifications for the award shed some light on the contract, which is pursued under FAR 6.302-2,“Unusual and Compelling Urgency”:

“Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the Government’s control, there is an immediaterequirement to mitigate a critical ISR services gap. This proposed contract action is to ensurecontinued operational capability.”

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The interesting question is whether this new contract also provides for RQ-21 Integrator services, to match theUSMC’s new STUAS-II UAV buys. Insitu was asked, but said that they were unable to comment. Meanwhile, therehas also been a steady expansion and extension of Insitu’s original H92222-09-D-0015 MEUAS ScanEaglecontract, when it became clear that its $250 million would run out long before April 27/14. FBO.gov announced onFeb 7/13 that:

“Program efforts were initiated in October 2010 to establish the competitive follow-on MEUAS IIcontract. A Justification and Approval (J&A) document was approved on 10 June 2011 to increasethe existing contract ceiling by $50,000,000 for a revised contract maximum of $300,000,000. Thisallowed for the continuation of mission essential operations during the source selection process ofthe MEUAS II follow-on requirement. A second J&A was approved and issued on 16 July 2012. Thisaction increased the contract maximum by $35,000,000 for a revised contract maximum of$335,000,000. This was to assure continuous operational capability during the transition from theMEUAS contract to the MEUAS II [won by AAI's Aerosonde UAV] …. [Now we're announcing araised] dollar ceiling of the MEUAS contract (H92222-09-D-0015) by $10,000,000 for a revisedcontract maximum of $345,000,000.”

Bottom line? MEUAS could end up being worth as much as $535 million to Insitu, more than double its originalamount. From the government’s point of view, it now has 2 MEUAS vendors, with contracts that will both expire in

March 2015. FBO.gov re: Revised Contract | FBO.gov re: revised contract maximum | Insitu .

US SOCOM MEUAS

Nov 16/12: OEF. Insitu Inc. in Bingen, WA receives a $12.1 million firm-fixed-price contract modification forpre and post deployment operations and services involving ScanEagle UAVs in Afghanistan. The contractmentions both electro-optical and mid-wave infrared imagery, and in 2013 the new MWIR/EO turret will let

the company offer both of those options, without requiring the UAV to land and switch (q.v. Aug 7/12 entry).

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, and is expected to be complete in August 2013. All contract funds willexpire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/13 (N00019-11-C-0061).

Nov 16/12: AOL Defense calls attention to Insitu’s business model of providing turnkey services, as the USmilitary prepares to cut in-theater deployments and surveillance, standardize its UAVs, and bring operations

and maintenance in house.

Meanwhile, the civilian market isn’t ready yet. That’s partly because of issues around certification in civil air space,and partly because all Insitu UAVs must be sold as weapons through the USA’s ITAR process. As an example, oilcompanies who want to use ScanEagle are told that they can’t have any non-US citizens aboard the operatingplatform. Things are going well in Australia with government agencies and civil fight authorities, but that won’t beenough.

Insitu is trying to get a version of the ScanEagle designated as a commercial commodity, and they estimate thatthe RQ-21A Integrator program will be worth $500 million over 10 years. Even so, AOL Defense is probably rightthat the Boeing subsidiary is about to take a financial hit.

Oct 30/12: UAV + UGS. Insitu Pacific in Queensland, Australia announces that integration between ScanEagleand McQ’s iScout Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS)/ OmniWatch technologies is complete. McQ’s UGS is inwidespread service with the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Energy and “a range of internationalcustomers.”

The project enables UGS target detection alerts to be automatically displayed within ScanEagle’s Insitu I-MUSEmultiple UAS controller software. The iScout sensor automatically sends a notification to I-MUSE, displaying thetarget location, detection type (seismic, magnetic, acoustic or infrared) and other relevant information. Theoperator is then able to automatically focus the ScanEagle’s sensors on the new contact to verify the data

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Skyhook recovery(click to view full)

provided by iScout and OmniWatch, and to continue to track the target once it has moved beyond the OmniWatchcamera range. Insitu .

Oct 23/12: Kestrel agreement. Insitu Inc. announces a long-term licensing agreement with Sentient inMelbourne, Australia, to integrate Kestrel land and maritime automated detection software into Insitu’sScanEagle and Integrator systems.

Kestrel software is currently deployed as a separate add-on that specializes in detecting moving targets within thefield of view of the UAV’s electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) sensors. There are land and maritime versions,

which have been used by the U.S. and its allies in Iraq and Afghanistan. Insitu | Sentient .

Kestrel MTI agreement

Oct 10/12: Compact CLRE. The US Office of Naval Research is funding tests of the ScanEagle CompactLaunch and Recovery System (CLRE), which combines the Skyhook recovery system with a compressed airlauncher for the UAV. The end result is more compact than the traditional piston launcher/ skyhook combination,

which is a big advantage for smaller boats and ships. ONR adds that :

“The system currently is trailer mounted for testing and ease of towing behind ground vehicles, butInsitu is exploring modifications of this version for rapid deployments. Its turntable base allows formounting to a variety of integration structures.”

2012

New USN contract introduces competition, but assures ScanEagle’s future; Key US SOCOM loss; Wins inSingapore & Malaysia; Dutch buy ScanEagle services, but look to Integrator; Japanese evaluation; Integrator getscloser; Research into new tiny ground-scanning radar.

Sept 26/12: Upgrades. Boeing subsidiary Insitu, Inc. in Bingen, WA receives a $12.4million delivery order for the hardware required to modernize the ScanEagle and itsancillary equipment. See Aug 7/12 for more details of what the upgrades entail; thehardware contract also includes replacements, using upgraded air vehicles andcomponents.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, and is expected to be complete in May 2013.All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, which is almostimmediately. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is thecontracting activity (N00019-12-G-0008).

Sept 17/12: OEF. Insitu Inc. in Bingen, WA receives a $7.7 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for pre andpost deployment operations and services involving ScanEagle UAVs in Afghanistan. The contract mentions bothelectro-optical and mid-wave infrared imagery, and in 2013 the new MWIR/EO turret will let the company offerboth of those options, without requiring the UAV to land and switch (q.v. Aug 7/12 entry).

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, and is expected to be complete in August 2013. All contract funds willexpire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12 (N00019-11-C-0061).

Aug 21/12: OEF. Insitu in Bingen, WA, is awarded a $23.4 million firm-fixed-price contract modification foradditional ScanEagle operations and maintenance in Afghanistan, using both daytime EO and IR night sensors.Work will be performed in Bingen, WA and is expected to be complete in August 2013 (N00019-11-C-0061).

Aug 9/12: Netherlands. A Dutch ScanEagle is launched on its first anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden, fromthe amphibious ship HNLMS Rotterdam. The LPD embarked the UAVs, catapult, and command station, plus a 19-

soldier Army contingent. Dutch MvD [in Dutch].

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Aug 8/12: Comms. relay. Boeing touts a smaller, lighter version of its Tactical Compact CommunicationsRelay (TCCR). The 1.6-pound TCCR extends the range of line-of-sight military handheld radios from under

10 nautical miles to more than 150, and has been operating in Afghanistan. The new 1-pound version does thesame, and will fit into a 5″ x 5″ x 1″ slot in the ScanEagle’s payload bay.

The new TCCR has been tested on several other UAVs, including the Schiebel Camcopter S-100, and Boeingplans to demonstrate a civilian set that could support emergency response or other commercial applications.

Aug 7/12: Netherlands. Insitu Inc. announces that the Dutch military can now fly the ScanEagle under a limitedmilitary aircraft type-classification certificate from the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) of the Netherlands.

The Dutch needed that, because they intend to operate the UAVs over their own country as well as abroad. Bothsides were motivated, so the certification milestone was achieved in just 4 months. Note that this isn’t a full

civilian certification, but it will definitely help. Insitu .

Aug 7/12: Sensors. Insitu Inc. announces that it’s conducting field evaluations of 2 new turrets forScanEagle. Both turrets will be available in the first half of 2013, and better power draw will help make switch-ins easier.

The new Hood Technology Corp. Vision MWIR/EO turret means customers won’t have to choose any morebetween zoom cameras or mid-wave infrared thermal imaging on their ScanEagles. Insitu’s larger RQ-21A

Integrator was already offering both modes, and competitive pressure makes it an important advance.

Hood’s SuperEO turret has already been in service for about a year, providing 5x better stabilization than itspredecessor. The newest SuperEO Enhanced turret lets operators track, zoom and focus while maintainingpositive identification, thanks to a sophisticated gimbal mechanism and a picture-in-picture display. Losing thetarget of interest when the camera moves has long been an annoying problem for many UAVs, especially smallones.

July 12/12: Australia. The Army’s contract for ScanEagle services has ended, but the Navy is interested. InsituPacific in Queensland, Australia is still using the Army’s contract, just extended and expanded to include trials withthe Royal Australian Navy (RAN). ScanEagle will be installed on a number of RAN vessels, and a first-of-classflight trial from a Frigate is expected in September 2012.

The RAN’s endorsed Aviation vision, NA2020, is to have a UAS dedicated unit by 2020. That’s awfully slow, giventhe pace of change, but the embarked trials will begin moving them in that direction. As American experienceshave shown, UAVs as a service can work as a shipboard offering. If the RAN decides to adopt ScanEagle as an

“interim UAV” service, there would be almost no changes from the arrangement it has just signed. Insitu .

RAN extends Army deal

July 11/12: Japan. Insitu Pacific in Queensland, Australia announces a contract from Mitsubishi HeavyIndustries, Ltd. (MHI), to deliver ScanEagle systems for comprehensive operational evaluation by the

Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (Army).

It’s more than just an evaluation, as the ScanEagles will be operated by the JGSDF during this period to assist indisaster recovery, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. Having said all that, itisn’t a long-term win yet, either.

July 9/12: Singapore. Insitu Pacific in Queensland, Australia announces a contract from the Republic ofSingapore Navy (RSN), to equip its 6 Formidable Class (Lafayette Class derivative) missile frigates withScanEagle systems. Insitu Pacific will also provide training, logistics and ship installation, as well as

specialist in-country maintenance support.

This decision has been a while in coming, vid. the March 2/09 entry detailing ship trials. Insitu .

Singapore

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May 29/12: NanoSAR next. ImSAR LLC in Salem, UT receives a $24 million firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to build, test, and assess a lightweight ultra wideband Synthetic Aperture Radar for use on smallunmanned aerial vehicles. ImSAR makes the NAnoSAR, and this looks like the contract to develop its successor.

Work will be performed in Salem, UT with an estimated completion date of May 31/17. One bid was solicited, withone bid received by US Army Contracting Command in Natick, MA (W911QY-12-D-0011).

May 20/12: Iraq? Reuters confirms that Iraq will be using UAVs to protect its southern port and associated oilplatforms. The logical candidate is Insitu’s ScanEagle, which is already operating in this role (vid. Feb 9/12

entry):

“Iraq’s navy has purchased US drones to protect the country’s oil platforms in the south, fromwhere most of Iraq’s oil is shipped,” said an official from the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq,which is part of the US embassy. The OSCI did not give further details of the number or type ofunmanned aircraft. But Iraqi security officials confirmed plans to use drones to protect oilinfrastructure.”

Iraq?

May 15/12: Insitu, Inc., Bingen, WA receives a $35.5 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for additionalScanEagle and NightEagle services in Afghanistan.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, and will run to December 2012. All Contract funds will expire at the end ofthe current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages thecontract (N00019-11-C-0061).

May 4/12: Over in Australia. The ScanEagle has made its last flight for Australia, and its leased services arebeing replaced with Textron’s RQ-7B Shadow UAVs bought under Project JP129.

While Boeing contractors provided assistance and operational services, about 180 Australian Defence Forcepersonnel deployed in support of the ScanEagle, mostly from 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment,with elements from 16th Air Defence Regiment, Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation, 1st TopographicSurvey Squadron and 16th Aviation Brigade. During its 5 years in operation in Afghanistan, ScanEagles flew

about 32,000 hours in more than 6,200 missions. Australian Army | Ottawa Citizen .

April 17/12: Malaysia. Insitu Pacific and Composites Technology Research Malaysia (CTRM) announce acontract for Insitu Pacific to deliver its ScanEagle to CTRM, to be operated by CTRM’s subsidiary UnmannedSystems Technology (UST).

Insitu Pacific has confirmed to DID that “CTRM will utilise the ScanEagle system to augment UAS Servicesprovided to the Malaysian Defence Forces under an existing contract.”

Malaysia

April 4/12: Hydrogen-powered. Boeing’s Insitu announces that the ScanEagle has completed a hydrogen-powered test flight, using a 1,500-watt fuel cell by United Technologies and a hydrogen fueling solution by the USNaval Research Laboratory. They add that this ScanEagle is lighter than the traditional model, which means moreroom for equipment. On the other hand, the release didn’t discuss the effects on range and endurance, which are

more critical traits for this UAV. Earth Techling .

March 19/12: Dutch contract. Insitu announces a contract with the Dutch MvD to use its ScanEagle “bothdomestically and abroad.” Specifically, they’ll provide:

“…an ISR capability during the second half of 2012, replacing a program [DID: Sperwer UAVs] that

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ended in the middle of 2011. Looking forward, Netherlands MOD and Insitu plan to continue toexplore the potential for multi-mission ISR capabilities using a next-generation Insitu UAS thatcarries multiple ISR sensors and enables rapid, robust payload integration.”

Which is to say, their RQ-21A Integrator platform. Both of the interim ScanEagle systems (3 UAVs each) areexpected to achieve operational capability by late 2012, with 1 available for overseas deployment, and the otherused for training and domestic tasks.

The permanent Sperwer replacement will involve 5 systems, by late 2014: 3 for deployment, 1 for missions withinThe Netherlands, and 1 for training. The RQ-21A has the required integration with ScanEagle ground systems,

and has been chosen to enter service with 107 Aerial Systems Battery in 2014. Insitu | Dutch Defence Press.

Netherlands

March 5/12: MEUAS-II loss. Textron’s subsidiary AAI wins the 3-year, maximum $600 million follow-on to USSpecial Forces’ MEUAS contract, using its Aerosonde 4.7G UAV. Insitu’s MEUAS contract had been slated toexpire in 2014, but the somewhat-imprecise wording of public statements and solicitations suggest that MEUAS-IIwill fully replace the old contract.

With its technology validated by 2 huge American contracts, AAI’s Aerosonde UAVs can be expected to be a muchmore visible competitor around the globe. Meanwhile, ScanEagle has gone from the sole-source solution in 2major American contracts, to forced competition in UAS-ISR and an uncertain position in MEUAS. ScanEagle UAVstill has important advantages in its array of specialized variants, and the larger RQ-21A Integrator UAV is on tapas a follow-on offering. Even so, the MEUAS-II setback may leave Boeing and Insitu pondering the need for

further investment in, and upgrades to, their core ScanEagle platform. Textron’s AAI | UV Online.

US MEAUS-II

Feb 29/12: USN ISR. US NAVAIR issues their 5-year, $864 million UAS ISR contract, which can include servicesfor US military allies, alongside the US Navy and Marines. Insitu submits the ScanEagle instead of the RQ-21AIntegrator, and their selection as an eligible bidder for task orders would seem to protect ScanEagle’s near termfuture.

On the other hand, the umbrella contract introduces competition to an area that ScanEagle used to have to itself.Textron’s Aerosonde G will compete with Insitu’s ScanEagle for naval and land task orders, while Saab’s smallSkeldar heli-UAV will become a 3rd competitor on land. Read “ScanEagle, Aerosonde & Skeldar: The USN’s UAS-ISR Contract, 2012-2017” for full coverage.

USN ISR

Feb 9/12: Exports. An AOL Defense report offers an expanded list of ScanEagle operators, as well as 3more potential export clients:

“Navy leaders are considering foreign military sales of the Scan Eagle to Kuwait, Pakistan and theNetherlands, according to a presentation by Marine Corps Col. James Rector, head of the smalltactical unmanned aerial systems division at Naval Air Systems Command. Aside from the U.S.Navy, the Scan Eagle is being flown by naval forces in Colombia, Tunisia, Poland and Iraq,according to PowerPoint slides from Rector’s speech at the Association for Unmanned VehicleSystems International’s annual program review in Washington yesterday.”

The Netherlands is already using ScanEagle as an interim UAV; presumably, Dutch discussions represent long-term lease or purchase options. Previous reports have suggested that Boeing is offering ScanEagle leases withprovisions to switch part-way through, and use the larger and more advanced RQ-21 Integrator platform (vid. June

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Aussie ScanEagle(click to view full)

16/10 entry).

Jan 25/12: NightEagle. Insitu, Inc. in Bingen, WA receives an $20 million firm-fixed-price contract modification,exercising an option for ScanEagle operational and maintenance services. These services will provide electro-optical/infrared and mid-wave infrared (NightEagle) imagery in support of Marine Corps operations in Afghanistan.Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, and is expected to be complete in May 2012. All contract funds will expireat the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12 (N00019-11-C-0061).

Jan 22/12: Closing time approaches. First flight of an Early Operational Capability (EOC) RQ-21A STUASIntegrator UAV at the USMC’s Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, CA, 16 months after the contractis awarded. USMC UAV Squadron VMU-3 will deploy the RQ-21A within the USA, while a government-contractorteam works with the system, and develops tactics, techniques, and procedures on the way to formal InitialOperational Capability (IOC), and then Full Operational Capability (FOC).

As those milestones are reached, Insitu’s ScanEagle will fade from use. US NAVAIR : “RQ-21A willeventually replace the Navy and Marine ISR services contract in which current ISR missions are conducted

in Iraq, Afghanistan and shipboard.”

2011

CEO shift; Dutch pick ScanEagle; Arctic & Libyan operations; Swarm flight; Comm relay test.

Nov 28/11: Insitu, Inc. in Bingen, WA receives an $12 million firm-fixed-price contractmodification, exercising an option for ScanEagle operational and maintenanceservices. These services will provide electro-optical/infrared and mid-wave infrared(NightEagle) imagery in support of Marine Corps operations in Afghanistan. Workwill be performed in Bingen, WA, and is expected to be complete in January 2012.All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12(N00019-11-C-0061).

Nov 15/11: UAE. Insitu Inc. announces a partnership with Abu Dhabi AutonomousSystems Investments Company (ADASI), to perform joint support and sustainment

activities on Insitu’s ScanEagle and Integrator UAS.

Oct 6/11: Canada. Insitu Inc. announces that its Canadian clients have successfully used ScanEagle UAVs duringOperation Nanook in Canada’s Northwest Passage. The exercise focused around an Arctic major air disaster(MAJAID) simulation, and ScanEagle was deployed by Insitu and its partner ING Engineering to identifytraversable ground routes, watch for polar bear threats, and monitor day-to-day iceberg movements. Insitu andING UAS operators launched and retrieved the aircraft, then handed control over to the Canadian Forces andstood by to provide technical assistance as needed. Commanders in tactical operations centers (TOC) at 74degrees north and troops on the ground received real-time video.

The exercise itself is not as significant as ScanEagle’s proof of use in polar environments. Insitu | CanadaDND on Operation Nanook 11 | Canada DND Nanook 2011 photos .

Sept 30/11: Insitu, Inc. in Bingen, WA received a $7.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for major end items andparts to be used in the ScanEagle system. Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, and is expected to becomplete by January 2012. This contract was not competitively procured by the US Naval Surface WarfareCenter Panama City Division in Panama City Beach, FL (N61331-11-C-0011).

August 15/11: Libyan operations. Insitu discusses ScanEagle’s performance over Libya, from the ArleighBurke Flight II Class destroyer USS Mahan [DDG-72]. The operation began shortly after an Insitu team had

been aboard Mahan to analyze the way ScanEagles were used, and made recommendation to expand its uses.Mahan put those suggestions into effect once Operation Unified Protector began, flying the ScanEagles in strongwinds and forwarded secure imagery transmission to the task force used Boeing’s Secure Video Injection system:

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“What happened over that period of time, no one expected,” said ScanEagle Detachment Officer inCharge Lt. Nick Townsend. “ScanEagle was locating contacts of interest that no one else couldfind. After the dust settled, ScanEagle was credited with locating a host of contacts of interest dueto its ability to capture superior image quality and to operate covertly at relatively low altitudes.”…Later coordinating with an AWACS team, the USS Mahan ScanEagle team drew on ScanEagle’s24-hour endurance to support additional phases of the mission, including battle damageassessment: ScanEagle delivered real-time, full-color imagery… “They (operational commanders)say ‘put the camera here’ and we put the camera there without going through layers of complexcoordination. We get essential information directly to the decision makers fast,” said InsituScanEagle Site Lead Samuel Young.”

Libya experience

May – August 2011: Comm relay. Boeing announces successful May and August demonstrations ofScanEagle’s new narrowband communications relay, using an Insitu ScanEagle and AeroVironment’s Puma

AE mini-UAV. During the multiservice demonstrations, held in California, the UAVs flew at a variety of altitudeswhile linking handheld military radios dispersed over mountainous regions, extending the radios’ range tenfold.

Larger RQ-7B Shadow UAVs have also been used in this role, but those are generally controlled at the battalionlevel or above. Narrowband relays small enough to work on mini-UAVs would represent an important step forward,especially for Special Operations forces.

July 7-10/11: UAV Swarm. Boeing conducts successful autonomous UAV swarm missions over the ruggedterrain of eastern Oregon, using 2 ScanEagles and a Procerus Unicorn UAV from The Johns HopkinsUniversity Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL). Boeing Advanced Autonomous Networks program director

and team leader Gabriel Santander described it as “a milestone in UAV flight”; in this case, that’s a reasonablelabel.

The JHU/APL developed the UAVs’ Mobile Ad Hoc Network and swarm technology, which let them work togetherto search the test area through self-generating waypoints and terrain mapping, while simultaneously sending

information to teams on the ground. A broader demonstration is planned for the end of September. Boeing .

Swarm flight

June 30/11: Netherlands. The Dutch will use ScanEagle UAVs as an interim front-line replacement for Sagem’smuch larger Sperwer system, which has just been retired. Dutch MvD | Aviation Week

Dutch pick

May 31/11: Insitu, Inc. in Bingen, WA received a $46 million firm-fixed-price-contract to provide deploymentservices and flight hours, including electro-optical/infrared and mid-wave infrared imagery in support ofMarine Corps operations in Afghanistan. In practice, this means both ScanEagle and NightEagle platforms;looks like the April 9/11 short-term contract went well.

Services will encompass both operation and maintenance of the ScanEagle UAS, to provide real-time imageryand data to USMC personnel. Work will be performed in Bingen, WA and in the field, and is expected to becomplete in May 2012. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/11. Thiscontract was not competitively procured, pursuant to FAR 6.302-2 (N00019-11-C-0061).

June 2011: Insitu’s inception. The Smithsonian Institute’s magazine profiles the story behind Insitu and theScanEagle, as part of a feature describing the evolution of UAVs toward civilian roles. Boeing bought the firm for

about $400 million, in July 2008. Read “Drones are Ready for Takeoff “.

May 26/11: Insitu, Inc. in Bingen, WA received an $83.7 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite- quantity contractfor operations and maintenance services to support government-owned ScanEagle systems, including: multipletraining courses ranging from system pilot training, maintenance and operations, to mission coordinator and

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SECC test(click to view full)

payload operator; multiple kits for sustainment, payload and engine module kits; and multiple spare parts.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, and will run until May 2012. $62.7 million will expire at the end of thecurrent fiscal year, on Sept 30/11. There’s only one ScanEagle manufacturer, and this contract was notcompetitively procured, pursuant to FAR 6.302-2 (N00019-11-C-0012).

April 28/11: CEO shift. Boeing executive Steve Morrow becomes Insitu’s new President and CEO, succeedingco-founder Steve Sliwa, who retired April 1/11. That’s always a big inflection point in a company’s history.

Morrow holds a B.Sc. (electrical) Engineering from the University of South Carolina, and an M.Sc. Aeronauticalengineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. He most recently served as Director, Stand-offStrike, leading long-range weapons programs including

GM-84 Harpoon and SLAM-ER missiles, the USAF’s Tomahawk ALCM, the Next Generation Cruise Missile,and Boeing’s portion of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense program. He joined Boeing in 2002 following hisretirement as Navy program manager for Tomahawk-related programs. His Navy aviation experience came

in P-3 sea control aircraft. Insitu .

New CEO

April 14/11: Insitu awards small business qualifier ArgenTech Solutions a contract to provide field servicerepresentative (FSR) services, at locations worldwide. It’s an initial 1-year contract that includes options for 2additional years.

April 9/11: Boeing receives a $12.3 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for “additional Mid-WaveInfrared Unmanned Aerial Systems, intelligence reconnaissance surveillance services in for the 1st MarineExpeditionary Force combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.” Sounds like an order for

NightEagle services in Afghanistan.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA (65%), and St. Louis, MO (35%), and is expected to be complete inMay 2011. The US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Lakehurst, NJ manages this contract (N00019-08-C-0050).

Feb 22/11: Boeing receives a $5.7 million firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contractmodification for “additional persistent unmanned aerial vehicle intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissanceservices in support of naval maritime missions.” ScanEagles featured prominently in the April 2009 rescue of anAmerican vessel from Somali pirates, for example.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA (65%), and St. Louis, MO (35%), and is expected to be complete inNovember 2011. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/11 (N00019-08-D-0013).

2010

Polish order; New Integrator UAV for USMC; Weapons for ScanEagle?; FAA test; Heavy fuel; NanoSAR ready;ScanEagle SECC variant.

Dec 30/10: Boeing receives a $14.5 million firm-fixed-price contract modification foradditional “persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance unmanned aerialvehicle services in support of Marine Corps combat missions.”

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA (97%), and St. Louis, MO (3%), and isexpected to be complete in February 2011. All contract funds will expire at the end ofthe current fiscal year, on Sept 30/11 (N00019-09-C-0050).

Dec 28/10: A $68.3 million firm-fixed-price contract for “full-motion video fromcommercial un-manned air intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms

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Integrator platform(click to view full)

across Iraq. Work will be completed in Baghdad, Iraq, with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/11. The bidwas solicited through the Internet with 2 bids received by U.S. Central Command in Baghdad, Iraq (M67854-07-D-2052).

Dec 3/10: Weapons? Aviation Week reports that the US Navy is working on weapons that could give eventhe ScanEagle UAV hunter-killer capability. The 2 pound next-generation weapon management system

(WMS GEN2) has been tested in the lab, and the development team is now looking at using the WMS GEN2 withthe 5 pound NAWCAD Spike mini-missile, the Scan Eagle Guided Munition (SEGM), and a GPS-Guided Munition(G2M, likely the RCFC).

Sept 27/10: Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $5.7 million not-to-exceed indefinite-delivery /indefinite-quantitycontract modification for 2,100 hours of persistent UAV intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance services insupport of US Navy and USMC missions.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA (94%, Insitu subsidiary) and St. Louis, MO (6%), and the contract will end inSeptember 2011. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 20/10 (N00019-08-D-0013).

Sept 23/10: It took a while, but Boeing subsidiary Insitu, Inc. in Bingen, WA gets a $7.2 million modification to anAmerican firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-09-C-0005), for Poland’s order of 10 ScanEagle systems. ScanEaglewould join Aeronautics’ Orbiter mini-UAV and Aerostar tactical UAV, as UAVs available to Polish forces.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, and is expected to be complete in September 2011. $3.5 million will expireat the end of the current fiscal year. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contracton Poland’s behalf. See “Polish Equipment Issues and Consequences” for more in-depth coverage of the issuesand pressures behind Poland’s purchase.

Poland

Aug 24/10: NightEagle. Insitu announces that its NightEagle conversion kit is now fully integrated intocombat operations after successfully completing fielding of an upgraded mid-wave infrared (MWIR) imagerpayload. Insitu responded to an urgent, mission-critical request, using its deployed operationsrepresentatives to beat the schedule. The new configuration consists of upgrades to ground support

equipment, new software, and specialized in-field training.

NightEagle

July 29/10: No ScanEagles for STUAS-II. Boeing subsidiary Insitu, Inc. in Bingen,WA wins a $43.7 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract to provide its new IntegratorUAVs under the USMC’s the small tactical unmanned aircraft system/Tier IIunmanned aircraft system III (STUAS-II) competition. But the UAV that beatscompetitors like Raytheon’s KillerBee 4 is not a ScanEagle. Instead, it’s Insitu’s newIntegrator UAV – which may herald the beginning of the end for ScanEagle.Integrator also uses catapult launch, and is recovered using the same Skyhookrecovery systems as ScanEagle.

We won’t be covering other Integrator contracts in this article, just milestones thatare relevant to ScanEagle’s future.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA (46.7%), Hood River, OR (45.6%), and Melbourne, FL (7.7%). Work isexpected to be completed in September 2012, but $788,931 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, onSept 30/10. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals, with 4 proposalsreceived by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Lakehurst, NJ (N68335-10-C-0054). Insitu .

June 16/10: Poland. Reports surface that Poland has joined the customer list for Boeing’s leased ScanEagleUAV services, but details are scarce. At 15-20 hours endurance, ScanEagle offers longer on station time thanleased Aeronautics DS’ Aerostars’ 8-12 hours. On the other hand, the Aerostar offers 110 pounds of payload, while

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ScanEagle offers just 13 pounds.

Shepard Group adds that Insitu has qualified a Mk4 catapult launcher, which will be compatible with bothScanEagle and Integrator, and is “ready to ship the launcher to an undisclosed customer in Afghanistan.” TheInsitu spokesperson told them that around 35 ScanEagle systems of 5-10 UAVs each were operational withAustralian, Canadian, Polish and US forces.

Aviation Week reports that Boeing is also in talks with a number of European countries to lease ScanEagle UAVservices, with the option of an upgrade to their Insitu subsidiary’s slightly larger and more advanced IntegratorUAV later on. Aviation Week | Shepard Group | StrategyPage .

June 12/10: Boeing receives a $59.5 million ceiling-priced modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-09-C-0050) to provide 3,300 flight hours of persistent intelligence, surveillance,reconnaissance UAV services to the U.S. Marine Corps.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA (97%), and St. Louis, MO (3%); and is expected to be complete inDecember 2010. $29.75 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/10.

June 8/10: FAA tests. Boeing subsidiary Insitu Inc. signs a cooperative research development agreement withthe USA’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in order to guide the development of recommendations for UAVuse in civil airspace. The research will be managed by the FAA’s Research and Technology Development Officeand conducted at the William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, NJ. Insitu | FAA Fact Sheet .

Insitu will provide a ScanEagle system, related support hardware and data, and UAV training for FAA pilotsand maintenance staff. Insitu will also supply documentation related to ScanEagle, including an openinvitation for FAA personnel to visit Insitu.

June 2/10: Canada. Insitu announces that its ScanEagle has logged more than 17,000 combat flight hoursand 1,700 sorties with the Canadian Forces, as part of a “rent a drone” service operated by their Canadianpartner ING Engineering. ScanEagle has been deployed with the Canadian Forces in theater since 2008 and hascompleted a successful maritime flight demonstration aboard the Kingston Class patrol vessel HMCS Glace Bay.

May 13/10: Insitu Inc. announces that it has demonstrated its heavy fuel engine-configured ScanEagle UASto the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, in conjunction with the Joint Systems Integration Laboratory(JSIL). The tests at Fort Rucker, AL demonstrated interoperability between ScanEagle video with metadata andthe U.S. Army’s One System Remote Video Terminal (OSRVT), a digital video encrypted data feed, a mid-waveinfrared (MWIR) sensor for night scans, and Insitu’s stabilized airborne target tracking system.

May 12/10: SECC. Boeing tests its ScanEagle Compressed Carriage (SECC), whose 132-inch wingspan andfolding aero surfaces let it be carried in a container and launched from an aircraft pylon, or a submarine. It’srecovered using the same SkyHook system as a regular ScanEagle.

ScanEagle SECC is powered by a 6 hp heavy-fuel engine. The test launched it from a ground vehicle, whereuponit flew an autonomous 75 minute flight plan at various altitudes, and provided streaming video to a nearby groundstation. Boeing | Boeing feature w. video .

April 29/10: Insitu Inc. announces that its ScanEagle UAS recently exceeded 300,000 combat flight hourssince its 1st operational flight in 2002, and accounted for approximately 22% of the 550,000 hours thatAmerican UAVs flew in 2009.

April 14/10: An $11 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-09-C-0050) toprovide 6,600 flight hours of persistent ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) unmanned aircraft vehicleservices in support of naval maritime missions. Work will be performed in Bingen, WA (97%), and St. Louis, MO(3%), and is expected to be complete in June 2010. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscalyear.

March 16/10: Boeing subsidiary Insitu, Inc. in Bingen, WA received an $8.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for

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ScanEagle UAV(click for alternate view)

technical services, to support intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance services. In addition, this contractcovers 6 critical spare kits and 9 SkyHook recovery system modifications.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, and is expected to be complete in December 2010. Contract funds in theamount of $8.4 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/10. This contract was notcompetitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-2 (N00019-10-C-0045).

Feb 23/10: Sensors – NanoSAR. Insitu Inc. announces that after 4 years of work with ImSAR LLC and 2years of flight testing, the NanoSAR ground-scanning radar has moved out of development, is now availableas a payload for its ScanEagle dual bay and follow on “Integrator” UAVs. See May 28/08, Jan 7/08 entries.

NanoSAR

Feb 19/10: A $6.1 million not-to-exceed modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantitycontract (N00019-08-D-0013) to provide 300 hours of persistent UAV intelligence, surveillance, andreconnaissance services in support of naval maritime missions.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA (65%) and St. Louis, MO (35%), and is expected to be complete in July2010. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

2009

US SOCOM MEAUS order; Canada SUAV order; Maersk Alabama rescue; E-737 AEW&C’s UAV control; ASWMagEagle?; Bandit & Enerlink datalinks.

Dec 18/09: Bandit datalink. Boeing subsidiary Insitu Inc. announces that a flighttest with L-3 Communication Systems-West’s Bandit digital data link worked “wellin excess of range requirements.” Insitu is integrating the Bandit digital data link into itsScanEagle, NightEagle and Integrator UAVs. Bandit is Advanced Encryption Standard(AES) capable and ROVER 4/ 5 compatible. This test was conducted using theIntegrator UAV, but tests also happened on a ScanEagle earlier in 2009.

Dec 1/09: USCG. Aviation Week reports that the US Coast Guard is stillconsidering its UAV options:

“As part of its ongoing analysis, the service has participated in numerousexercises with other platforms [beyond the MQ-8B]… including Boeing’s A160 Hummingbird , anAeroVironment vehicle and ScanEagle tested on board a National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration ship.”

Nov 25/09: The University of North Dakota (UND) receives its ScanEagle UAS, to be used in Department ofDefense (DOD) contracted research providing data for UAS national airspace integration. UND is a designatedState Center of Excellence for UAS Research, Education and Training, and funds for this project were provided bya USAF research contract. UND Associate Professor of Aviation and Director of Program Development for theUAS Center of Excellence, Douglas Marshall, in Insitu’s Press release :

“To date, the university’s only fully trained operators and maintenance technicians are UNDemployees and primarily flight instructors. We hope to integrate a ScanEagle system into ourcurriculum and allow students to fly the system against a radar test bed, while learning to operatethe UAS itself.”

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Nov 24/09: Canada. Boeing subsidiary Insitu Inc. announces a successful ScanEagle flight demonstrationaboard Canada’s Kingston class coastal patrol vessel HMCS Glace Bay [MM 701]. The demonstration wasconducted by the Canadian Forces Maritime Warfare Centre (CFMWC), and included an in-flight handoff of theScanEagle by Canadian Navy personnel aboard HMCS Glace Bay to a ground control station (GCS) operated byCanadian Army personnel at Naval Base Halifax.

Oct 19/09: ScanEagle wins C4ISR Magazine’s 2009 C4ISR Platforms Category Award. Insitu release |C4ISR Magazine .

Sept 28/09: Sensors – MagEagle? Boeing receives a $275,000 contract from the US Naval Air WarfareCenter Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) to study of the magnetic noise associated with the heavy-fuel propulsionsystem on Boeing’s MagEagle Compressed Carriage (MECC) ScanEagle variant. The MagEagle is beingdesigned and built to be magnetically quiet, in order to help it locate, track and attack submarines using amagnetic anomaly detector (MAD) system that picks up the changes in earth’s magnetic field caused by largemetal objects.

Boeing envisions MECC as another UAV extension of the manned P-8A Poseidon aircraft, launchable from theaircraft itself. They will begin testing the MECC sensor system, vehicle integration, and magnetic noise reductionin 2010. Boeing .

Aug 11/09: Insitu announces that ScanEagle recently surpassed the mark of 200,000 operational flight hourssince 2004.

Aug 5/09: Insitu marks more than 2,500 combat flight hours and more than 300 shipboard sorties with itsheavy fuel engine (HFE) ScanEagle since flight-testing began in 2006, which. ScanEagle HFE has beendeployed aboard the destroyers USS Mahan and USS Milius, and uses the same JP-5 kerosene-based diesel fuelcommonly used in jet aircraft engines, as opposed to the more flammable and dangerous auto gas. Otheradvantages include simple starting and operation, a wider weather envelope, improved reliability and increasedendurance.

Insitu developed the engine in partnership with combustion system experts Sonex Research, Inc. in Annapolis,MD.

July 9/09: #1,000. Insitu Inc. marks delivery of its 1,000th ScanEagle, and announces that it is expanding itsUAS manufacturing capacity.

May 27/09: Canada. Boeing announces $25 million in contracts to Canadian industry, as part of its $30million industrial offsets commitment following Canada UAV services order. See also April 6/09 entry.

Winners include: ING Engineering Inc. (field services), MKS (MKS Integrity software and consulting services forprogram life-cycle management), and NovAtel (ScanEagle GPS).

May 22/09: The SEALs must have really liked what the ScanEagle did for them during the Maersk Alabamaincident, and been satisfied with past experiments involving launches from their MkV boats and trials on otherNavy ships. Boeing announces a 5-year, $250 million contract from US Special Operations Command for:

“Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services… Boeing and its subsidiary InsituInc. will operate, maintain and support ScanEagle systems for the Special Operations Forces MidEndurance Unmanned Aircraft System (MEUAS) program….”

Boeing VP of Boeing Defense & Government Services Greg Deiter says that Boeing’s past performance onScanEagle battlefield surveillance contracts was a significant reason for their win. That kind of record will becomea valuable competitive asset as new designs like the blended-wing KillerBee 4 begin competing inScanEagle’s niche.

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US SOCOM MEAUS

April 13/09: The Boeing Co. in St. Louis, MO received a $45.4 million ceiling-priced, unfinalized contract toprovide persistent UAV services from land bases on the Afghan front.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA (65%) and St. Louis, MO (35%), and is expected to be complete inDecember 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $22.7 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Thiscontract was not competitively procured, pursuant to FAR(Federal Acquisition Regulations) 6.302-2 (N00019-09-C-0050).

April 9/09: Maersk Alabama rescue. The US Navy releases some stills from videos of the Maersk Alabama’s 28-foot closed lifeboat, taken by ScanEagle UAVs. The hostage incident ended a couple of days later, when Cmdr.Frank X. Castellano of the USS Bainbridge [DDG-96] ordered Navy sharpshooters to kill the Somali pirates whowere holding Capt. Richard Phillips hostage. Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3 .

Maersk Alabama

April 6-12/09: During this week, ScanEagle UAVs flew their 150,000th hour in service with the U.S. MarineExpeditionary Forces, U.S. Navy, U.S. Special Operations Command, Australian Army and Canadian Forces.Boeing release .

April 6/09: Insitu receives an award to provide “small unmanned aerial vehicle (SUAV) services” to supportthe Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, and elsewhere. See also Nov 6/08 entry. The initial contract is worth US$ 30million, with options for another US$ 31 million.

As part of the Request for Proposal, Insitu Inc. must provide 100% industrial and regional offset benefits. Itsassociation with Boeing, which has substantial Canadian operations, should make that easy. Canadiangovernment .

Canada

April 1/09: Boeing subsidiary Insitu, Inc. in Bingen, WA received a $20.9 million firm-fixed-price contract to supplyScanEagle hardware for 4 operational sites, 3 spare/operational float packages, and critical spares kits in supportof the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, and is expected to be complete in July 2009. This contract was notcompetitively procured, pursuant to FAR 6.302-2 (N00019-09-C-0005).

March 16/09: Australia – AWACS compatibility. Boeing’s two-fer . Australia’s Project JP129 failure hascreated an opening for Boeing’s ScanEagle UAV, but its flagship “Wedgetail” E-737 AWACS faces questions.Boeing responded by linking 2 birds with one datalink: a live demonstration in which a not-yet-delivered Wedgetailaircraft flying over Washington State, USA controlled and received sensor data from 3 ScanEagle UAVs.

The 3 ScanEagles were launched from Boeing’s Boardman Test Facility in eastern Oregon, approximately 120miles/ 190 km away from the airborne Wedgetail. Using the company’s UAS battle-management software,airborne operators issued NATO-standard sensor and air-vehicle commands via a UHF satellite communicationlink and ground-station relay. Operators tasked the UAVs with area search, reconnaissance, point surveillanceand targeting, while the UAVs sent back real-time video imagery of ground targets.

Boeing will conduct a follow-on demonstration for the Australian government in early May 2009 at RAAF BaseWilliamtown in New South Wales. A Wedgetail will take control of ScanEagles operated by Boeing DefenceAustralia personnel at Woomera Test Facility in South Australia, approximately 1,080 miles/ 1,730 km fromWilliamtown.

March 2/09: Singapore. Boeing announces that Singapore has been putting their ScanEagle UAV throughship-based trials, including flight from the helicopter decks of an LST amphibious support ship and a frigate.Boeing Defence Australia provided a complete maritime ScanEagle system for the successful trials, including a

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ScanEagle returns(click to view full)

ground control station, communication links, launcher and SkyHook recovery system. They were complementedby a Boeing/ Insitu support team that was deployed to Singapore.

Jan 21/09: EnerLinks datalink. Viasat subsidiary Enerdyne Technologies Inc. signs an agreement with Insitu Inc.to supply its EnerLinksII DVA digital data link technology for use in the ScanEagle UAV. The EnerLinksII DVAis a small 3″ x 5″ x 1″ module that’s placed between the ScanEagle’s sensors and the RF transmitter, usingless than 8 watts and weighing under 0.5 pounds.

The concept of a DVA (Digital Video over Analog) system involves simple conversion of older FM analog videolinks to encrypted digital links, without replacing any of the RF equipment in either the aircraft or the ground.EnerLinksII’s improved digital performance improves both UAV video link range and bandwidth use by a factor of4, and can transmit 2 Mbps of IP data simultaneously with compressed FMV (Full Motion Video). Features includeH.264 compression, IP multiplexing, AES encryption, FEC coding, and modulation waveshaping.

Jan 7/09: Boeing subsidiary Insitu announces that its ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system has justcompleted its 1,500th shipboard sortie in service with the U.S. Navy.

2008

US Navy win; US SOCOM, Canada place initial orders; Australian subsidiary; Shot locator, SWIR cameravariants; NanoSAR.

Nov 26/08: Sensors – shot locator. The US Office of Naval Research and NavalSurface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division discuss a Navy Expeditionary Overwatch(NEO) program exercise, which involved US Navy Expeditionary CombatCommand (NECC) sailors deploying a ScanEagle UAV, a manned Humvee with“Gunslinger” shot location and counterfire system, and an unmanned surface vehicle(USV) on a successful mission to detect and engage fictional insurgents over a 10square mile radius.

The Gunslinger Humvee’s remote-control gun is operated by a gunner who sits at acontrol panel in the back seat. The Mk 45 weapons system is hooked up to video andinfrared cameras connected to a set of sensors designed to detect gunfire, including adevice that watches for muzzle flashes and listens for gunshots. It then points theremote-controlled weapons system on the Hummer’s roof at the source of fire.

At the Potomac River NEO demonstration, warfighters in the Humvee used the Gunslinger’s acoustic detectionpackage and infrared sensors to determine the location of hostile fire and automatically move the weapon in thedirection of the fire for friendly force response. The 36-foot-long semi-autonomous USV was also equipped with aGunslinger payload and a range of sensors and communications systems. US Navy release | The Registerre: Gunslinger..

Nov 12/08: Boeing receives a $65 million estimated value modification to a previously awarded indefinitedelivery indefinite quantity “Interim UAS” contract, exercising an option for “persistent unmanned aerialsystem intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance services in support of Global War on Terror, Operation IraqiFreedom and Operation Enduring Freedom sea-based deployments and land-based detachments.” That’smilspeak for contractor operation and maintenance of ScanEagle UAVs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA (65%); and St. Louis, MO (35%), and is expected to be complete inNovember 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $6.8 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year(N00019-08-D-0013).

Nov 6/08: Canada. Canada issues a MERX solicitation (W8486-09MGSL/A ) for a leased small UAV service.Canada is already leasing ScanEagle UAVs that can fulfill the MERX requirements: 90% operationalavailability, 12 hours on station, ability to gather and transmit high quality imagery from a distance of 50km.

Aug 6/08: Sensors – SWIR. Boeing and Goodrich Corporation announce that they have successfully flight-tested

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a ScanEagle unmanned aircraft equipped for the first time with a short-wave infrared (SWIR) camera. A SWIRcamera can see more effectively in fog, rain or when little or no heat is radiated, which makes it especially usefulfor maritime surveillance. Boeing release .

July 22/08: Merger. Boeing buys its partner Insitu, which will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary ofBoeing’s Integrated Defense Systems’ Military Aircraft division. Subsequent reports place the price at around $400million:

“Insitu’s key technologies and advanced capabilities in rapid prototyping and manufacturing aredriving its revenue to an anticipated $150 million this year, 70 percent higher than in 2007, andhave it well positioned for the future… Terms of the cash transaction were not disclosed. Thistransaction, anticipated to close by the end of September following regulatory approvals, does notaffect Boeing’s financial guidance.”

Insitu, Inc. retained investment bankers Houlihan Lokey for the acquisition, and terms of the sale were notdisclosed. Insitu’s investors are led by Battery Ventures, Second Avenue Partners, and Pteranodon Ventures.Boeing | Insitu | Wall Street Journal (subscription reqd).

Boeing buyout

June 2/08: Boeing received an estimated $65 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract to“provide persistent Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance services supportingthe Global War on Terror, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom sea-based deploymentsand land-based detachments.” The language above refers to their ScanEagle operation services, which areundertaken in cooperation with Insitu.

Work will be performed in Bingen, WA, (65%); and St. Louis, MO (35%) and is expected to be complete in May2009. Contract funds in the amount of $7 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract wascompetitively procured by electronic request for proposals, with 2 offers received (N00019-08-D-0013). Boeingrelease | Insitu copy .

Interim UAS win

May 28/08: NanoSAR. The NanoSAR test program continues, as Boeing, ImSAR and Insitu Inc. achievereal-time processing of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data aboard a ScanEagle UAV which is also equippedwith a standard inertially stabilized electro-optical (EO) camera. The tests marked the first time SAR and EOcapabilities have flown together on such a small, lightweight platform, and involved real-time SAR processing withstreaming radar images displayed on the ground station. Creating real-time images onboard ScanEagle eliminatesthe requirement of either processing imagery on the ground after flight or using high-speed data links to a groundstation. Insitu release .

May 26/08: Australia. Insitu, Inc.partners with the Queensland state government in Australia to announcethe formation of its wholly owned subsidiary, Insitu Pacific Pty Ltd. The release adds that:

“Insitu, along with Boeing Australia, is proud to be part of the experienced team that has deliveredmore than 13,000 surveillance and reconnaissance flight hours to help protect Australian troops inIraq and Afghanistan.”

Insitu Pacific

April 29/08: Insitu announces that the ScanEagle has now surpassed 50,000 combat flight hours with theU.S. Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEF) in Iraq and 1,000 shipboard recoveries with the U.S. Navy.

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April 22/08: Testing. Insitu announces that it has flown Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) equipped ScanEagles in Iraq, incooperation with the US Navy. Heavy fuel refers to the kerosene-based fuel used in diesel and/or jet aircraftengines such as JP5, JP8, or Jet-A. ScanEagles flying in Iraq are using naval JP5 fuel, which is designed to besafer aboard ships.

The effort involved Insitu, Boeing, and Sonex Research Inc. in Annapolis, MD. The effort took 2 years ofdevelopment and included over 2000 hours of testing, including a new ScanEagle flight endurance mark of 28hours, 44 minutes using JP5. Insitu release .

April 18/08: Recall the Feb 7/08 launches from a Navy SEAL MkV boat, and demonstration by AFSOC atHurlburt Field, FL.

Insitu Group, Inc., of Bingen, WA receives a firm-fixed price contract with a not-to-exceed value of $24 million forunmanned aircraft system information gathering, target surveillance, and reconnaissance services in support ofU.S. Special Operations Command. The work will be performed in Bingen, WA and 3 other undisclosed locationsusing FY 2008 operations and maintenance funds (H92222-08-C-0022).

US SOCOM

March 25/08: Canada stands up an SUAV (Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Troop. After live flight training in NewMexico, SUAV Troop deploys to Afghanistan to operate leased ScanEagles, which are referred to as “InterimSUAV”. Source: CASR .

Canada

Feb 7/08: US AFSOC. Air Force Special Operations Command, as the lead command for small unmanned aircraftsystems, highlights the capabilities of the Scan Eagle during a demonstration at the Eglin Air Force Base testrange. AFSOC has been training with the 820th Security Forces Group from Moody Air Force Base, GA sinceSeptember 2007, to employ the system. AFSOC release .

Feb 7/08: USN SEALs. A Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle is launched from a MK V naval specialwarfare boat off the coast of San Clemente Island. This is the first time a Scan Eagle, used for variousapplications such as intelligence gathering and battle damage assessment, has been launched from this kind ofplatform. Insitu photo links .

Jan 14/08: USN’s Interim UAS. Jane’s reports that:

“Industry rivals are waiting to hear if they have ousted the Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle unmannedaerial vehicle (UAV) from its role as provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)support for US Navy ships at sea. A decision on the interim UAS contract, which will provide ISRimagery services to warships and to the US Marine Corps into the next decade, is expected in lateJanuary or early February 2008.”

Other competitors are thought to include AAI Corporation’s long-endurance Mk 4 Aerosonde, Aurora FlightSciences’ vertical take-off and landing GoldenEye 80, BAE Systems’ Skylynx II, MTC Technologies’ Spyhawk T-16and Raytheon/Swift Engineering’s Killer Bee. Insitu link .

UPDATE: the decision took until June 2008, and ScanEagle won.

Jan 7/08: Sensors – NanoSAR. Boeing, Insitu, and ImSAR conduct a successfulflight-test for the tiny NanoSAR Synthetic Aperture Radar aboard a ScanEagle UAV.The NanoSAR is a 2-pound system about the size of a shoebox, which is a coupleorders of magnitude lighter than most SAR systems. As a sign of the times, “import toGoogle Earth” is an option for the system.

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NanoSAR on ScanEagle(click to view full)

As a comparison, the I-Master SAR aboard Britain’s new Watchkeeper UAVs isconsidered small at 65 pounds. SAR radars aren’t an all-purpose replacement forScanEagle’s existing electro-optical sensors, but they’re a very important complementbecause of their ability to see through fog, dust, et. al. The issue for NanoSAR will beproviding acceptable resolution and coverage despite its tiny size.

Targets for the 1.5 hour test flight at the Boardman, OR test range included vehicles,structures and corner reflectors. Data collection worked as planned, and SAR imagerywas later created on the ground. The next step in flight testing will be to create imageryaboard the UA in real time. Boeing release | ImSAR on NanoSAR | Insitu re:

NanoSAR .

Additional Readings

Insitu – ScanEagle System . ScanEagle is closely derived from the “Insight” base platform.

Smithsonian Magazine, via WayBack (June 2011) – Drones are Ready for Takeoff

DoD Buzz, via WayBack (Oct 6/09) – FAA Acts or Drones Stop Flying . “Army drones will have tocurtail training and operational flights by fiscal 2012 in the United States unless the FAA approves someform of UAS deconfliction, a top Army UAS official says.”

IEEE Spectrum, via WayBack (January 2009) – Winner: Radio Eye in the Sky . Covers the concept ofultra-small SAR surface-looking radars.

DID (June 12/07) – Boeing Operating ScanEagle UAVs for Australia . The rent-a-UAV concept gainsanother customer. See also corporate site .

Flight International, via WayBack (June 6/07) – Evergreen alliance with Insitu for civil UAV market .“Semi-civil” might be a better way of putting it. They will use Insitu’s Insight platform.

DID (Jan 26/07) – ScanEagle + ShotSpotter = Sniper Spotter

Inc. Magazine, via WayBack (June 1/06) – How I Did It: Steven Sliwa, CEO and president, The InsituGroup

DID (June 8/06) – ScanEagle to Detect Biological Agents . The program is called ScanEagle BCAS.

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