Given the Canadian Army and Navy’s pioneering experience with the Insitu ScanEagle UAV, an interesting item from Euronaval this week: the Boeing subsidiary company has developed the ScanEagle 2.
The next generation of the ScanEagle platform, which Insitu says is built off the lessons learned from more than 800,000 operational hours – many Canadian – offers greater payload power and options, improved navigation, better image quality and a purpose-built propulsion system.
“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,” according to a news release. “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.”
“ScanEagle 2 will shepherd us into the next two decades as we focus on reliability and affordability and enter the civil/commercial market,” said Insitu president Ryan Hartman. 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.”