Boeing has paved the way for production of the ScanEagle unmanned air vehicle (UAV) by signing a long-term agreement with the Insitu Group, original developer of its Seascan predecessor.
The contract, which could run for up to 10 years, initially covers the delivery of three prototype ScanEagles as well as allowing for further research and development. News of the agreement emerges as Boeing and Insitu prepare to demonstrate ScanEagle at a 14 July UAV flight expo at the Webster Field Annex of NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.
The demonstration will also include flights by 12 other vehicles, including AeroVironment's Pointer and Raven; BAI Aerosystems' Dragon Eye and Tern XPV-1; the DRS Sentry HP; Geneva Aerospace's Dakota; the MLB Bat III; Northrop Grumman's Fire Scout and Hunter; the Schiebel CamCopter and Yamaha RMAX.
"We are hoping that by the end of the year we will have our first customer, and that we can begin production at the end of 2003 or by the beginning of 2004," says Boeing, which adds the agreement "allows us to move out of research and development, as well as giving us a marketing opportunity".
The ScanEagle, which will be manufactured at Insitu's Bingen, Washington site, has already been demonstrated to the US Navy.
Three ScanEagle prototypes have completed more than 50 flights since the first autonomous flight on 19 June 2002. The 1.2m (4ft)-long UAV carries an inertially stabilised gimballed video camera and is being developed into a family of vehicles with endurances ranging from 15h to 40h.
Source: Flight International
