U.S. Navy Pays $14.5M for ScanEagles
Following positive evaluations in the field by the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy has committed to a $14.5 million contract to use the ScanEagle. ScanEagle is a small GPS-guided spy plane that can linger above a designated battle space for many hours and beam back real-time pictures and positioning data. The Navy plans to use it in military operations in Iraq and other terrorism-related operations globally, but its capabilities may also make it suitable for use in a naval reconnaissance role. The low-cost, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle has already accumulated more than 2,400 flight hours in Iraq with the First Marine Expeditionary Force.
The ScanEagle was developed by the Insitu Group, a small Bingen, WA company in a partnership with The Boeing Co.’s Phantom Works division. Insitu is backed by Second Avenue Partners, which was co-founded by Pete Higgins, a former Microsoft Corp. executive. Puget Sound business Journal: Navy commits to $14.5M ScanEagle contract.
