GUY NORRIS / LOS ANGELES
Boeing is preparing to fit a pre-production version of the low-cost ScanEagle unmanned air vehicle (UAV) with a more efficient four-stroke piston engine, and expects to start flight tests before June.
Work on the re-engined UAV, developed in conjunction with Washington-based Insitu Group, follows the demonstration of the two-stroke piston-engined vehicle as part of the US Navy's Giant Shadow exercise in the Bahamas in late January. The ScanEagle flew five times, for a total of more than 20h, during the trial, which tested the suitability of a USN submarine as a stealthy platform for the support of special operations forces, UAVs and underwater unmanned vehicles.
For the trial, the 3m (10ft) span ScanEagle was launched and recovered from shore, although the USN says submarine launch "is envisioned as a potential future submarine upgrade, pending further development of advanced encapsulation techniques". The UAV served as a relay node for a communications network and enabled over the horizon surveillance. Endurance of the ScanEagle is 15h, but will be extended to around 60h with the high-efficiency engine.
The test was also seen as a key demonstration of the Insitu-developed daylight/low-light video camera system. Weighing 0.7kg (1.5lb), the stabilised, steerable digital video system is combined with a datalink, and will form the basis for an updated version now in development. The follow-on ScanEagle will be able to track targets and will add infrared, biological and chemical sensors as well as a satellite link.
Although the UAV is fully autonomous for the bulk of the mission, the landing is manually controlled and Boeing is now qualifying an automatic recovery system that will be trailer-based and adaptable for shipboard use. It is also "refining" a more user-friendly crew interface based on other Boeing UAV work, including the X-45.
Source: Flight International
