Insitu has announced ScanEagle 2, the next generation of its revolutionary ScanEagle platform. Leveraging lessons learned from more than 800,000 operational hours, ScanEagle 2 provides increased payload power and expanded payload options, a more robust navigation system, better image quality due to a fully digital video system and a state-of-the-art, purpose-built propulsion system. The aircraft’s new architecture also maximizes commonality with all Insitu systems, reducing training, hardware and life-cycle costs.
“For two decades, Insitu has made a name for itself through iterative innovation,” said Ryan M. Hartman, Insitu’s president and CEO. “ScanEagle 2 will shepherd us into the next two decades as we focus on reliability and affordability and enter the civil/commercial market. And as ScanEagle has always done, ScanEagle 2 will provide the capability our warfighters have come to expect from Insitu – yet more affordable and more capable.”
Engineered for unmatched performance, ScanEagle 2 employs a whole-systems approach to affordability and higher reliability that includes a new propulsion system – the first reciprocating internal combustion propulsion system designed and manufactured specifically for Small-Unmanned-Aircraft-Systems-class vehicles. ScanEagle 2 also enables commonality with other unmanned systems thanks to an open-architecture ground control system, as well as a launch-and-recovery system it shares with Integrator, Insitu’s other unmanned platform.
To date, these systems have accumulated more than 800,000 operational flight hours and 100,000 sorties.
Source: Press Release