From Dolphins to Destroyers: The ScanEagle UAV
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US Navy buys more naval surveillance hours, NanoSAR released. (Feb 23/10)
ScanEagle’s base Insight™ UAV platform was originally developed by Washington State’s Insitu, Inc. to track dolphins and tuna from fishing boats, in order to ensure that the fish you buy in supermarkets is “dolphin-safe”. It turns out that the same characteristics needed by fishing boats (able to handle the salt-water environment, low infrastructure launch and recovery, small size, 20-hour long endurance, automated flight patterns) are equally important for naval operations from larger vessels, and for battlefield surveillance. A partnership with Boeing took ScanEagle to market in those fields, and the design is carving out a market-leading position in its niche.
This article covers recent developments with the ScanEagle UAV system, which is quickly evolving into a mainstay with the US Navy – and others as well.
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This DII Spotlight highlights the growing use of Boeing's ScanEagle UAV - and its "UAVs for rent" business model - on the front lines of combat. Discussion includes:
- Information about the ScanEagle family, special variants, and its possible successor
- Complete chronology of contracts and key events since 2008
- Coverage of contracts beyond the United States
- Numerous photos of the UAVs and their payloads
- Sources for additional information, including battlefield reports
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