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2019-02-01
Insitu Brings Sophisticated UAS to Middle East
A surge in the fleets of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) is being witnessed in the MENA region and this is reportedly being motivated by the need for increasingly sophisticated technology and increased safety.
In response to this increasing demand, last year Insitu introduced Integrator Extended Range and ScanEagle3. Both these products will be on display at IDEX 2019 in the Insitu-Boeing booth, USA Pavilion booth 03-C22.
The aircraft represent the next generation of the company’s proven platforms, and are the beginning of what Insitu anticipates will be a significant transition in the way its existing customers do business as well as an appealing option for new users.
Significant Range
Insitu’s newest platform, Integrator Extended Range (Integrator ER) is a beyond line of sight, SATCOM-enabled small UAS. The 66-kg-aricraft leverages tech advances that have driven down the size, weight and power of on-board satellite equipment, as well as generational improvements in high-throughput satellites, to deliver 10 hours time on station at 200 nm and six hours at 300 nm.
Before Insitu announced Integrator ER, all tactical small UAS had been restricted to 50-70 nautical miles due to their line-of-sight radio frequency limitations. Satellite communications equipment was reserved for aircraft weighing upwards of 10,000 pounds, because it was too big and heavy for the smaller classes of unmanned systems.
Reducing the footprint inherently reduces operating costs, another benefit of the system. Full-service contractor operations for Integrator ER will cost approximately one-third of contracted medium-altitude unmanned systems in operation today, while significantly reducing the work force footprint required.
This new option enables Insitu’s customers to either increase their ISR capacity within current budget, or save money by augmenting higher cost systems with smaller unmanned systems.
Additionally, as small unmanned systems take on a larger role in theatre-level ISR missions, large strike-capable unmanned assets are freed up to conduct more of the kinetic missions for which they were designed.
Furthermore, Integrator ER delivers high quality, full motion video on par with current larger ISR systems while at acoustically and visually undetectable altitudes. The low-flying system provides no sanctuary for adversaries who operate freely today under the cover of low-lying clouds. Newer high-throughput satellites offer more secure, jam-resistant networks than traditional unmanned systems use today.
But most importantly, Integrator ER helps customers put more eyes and ears in dangerous environments around the world to give individuals on the ground a common operating picture that heightens their awareness, and brings them home safely.
Increased Payload
In April last year, Insitu unveiled ScanEagle3, the latest iteration of its ScanEagle platform. ScanEagle3’s engineering and design draw from the best of the Insitu family of UAS products, and were informed by close collaboration with Insitu’s customers to identify their business needs.
The aircraft offers significantly increased payload capacity, can carry up to three payloads simultaneously and is fully compatible with existing system components as well as Insitu’s family of launch and recovery equipment. In addition, ScanEagle3’s baseline configuration is ITAR free, accelerating the acquisition process for international customers.
Capitalising on the heritage of the ScanEagle product line and its more than one million hours of operations around the world, the aircraft features a new purpose-built propulsion system that accommodates more payload weight without compromising endurance.
ScanEagle 3 offers multiple payload options including electro-optical cameras, infrared cameras, communication relay, signals collection, synthetic aperture radar, and wide-area surveillance among others. This modularity not only enables Insitu’s customers to perform a wide range of missions, but also offers the flexibility to adopt new payload and sensor technologies as they emerge.
ScanEagle3 has adjustable wings that can be moved to alter the aircraft’s centre of gravity for rapid payload integration in the field. Other enhancements include an updated avionics architecture to simplify payload integration and allow common software across all Insitu platforms and a new purpose-built propulsion system that increases reliability while reducing life cycle costs.
ScanEagle3 is compatible with the entire portfolio of Insitu capabilities, meaning you can choose the right aircraft for the job without the need for additional hardware or software.
Hallmark of Excellence
Insitu is a pioneer in the design, development, production and operation of high-performance, cost-effective unmanned aircraft systems. With offices in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia and a growing presence in the Middle East, Insitu is well positioned to support its global customer base that spans more than 25 countries on six continents. The company’s unmanned aircraft have logged more than 1.1 million flight hours supporting customers at locations ranging from austere desert outposts to remote jungles to more than 27 classes of ships.
While Integrator ER and ScanEagle3 are two of the latest examples of its commitment to constantly evolving products and services, the company’s dynamic and customer-focused culture is rooted in its extensive experience. With more than 3,000 aircraft produced since the company was founded in 1994, ScanEagle has been the company’s flagship product, fielded by military, commercial and academic customers throughout the world. The ScanEagle2 variant, which is now available to international customers, builds upon that experience to offer increased reliability and commonality in the same basic form factor as the original model.
In addition, Insitu offers two larger platforms, the Integrator and its cousin the RQ-21 Blackjack. As the name implies, Integrator is designed to be a modular, flexible and versatile solution with best-in-class payload capacity of up to 18 kilograms. Insitu customers in Europe and the Middle East operate Integrator, while the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and a growing list of international customers via the U.S. Government’s Foreign Military Sales program operate RQ-21 Blackjack. Of note, each of Insitu’s Integrator and Blackjack customers is also a current or former ScanEagle user as well.
While there are many features that set Insitu apart, the hallmark of Insitu’s unmanned aircraft systems is runway independence. Using a pneumatic catapult and the company’s patented SkyHook recovery system, each of Insitu’s platforms offers fixed-wing performance from sites that would otherwise be suited only for helicopters, which are typically louder, more maintenance intensive, and offer less endurance.
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