The unmanned aircraft
system (UAS) I am reviewing for this blog entry is the ScanEagle by Boeing Insitu.
“ScanEagle provides persistent daytime and
nighttime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) in some of the
most extreme environments in the world.” (Insitu, n.d., para 1)
This platform has its presence in the ISR environment and has
been used as such since 2004. More recently this platform has been developed to
survey crops because of the payloads it has available. It is a system that is
flexible and can go from keeping an eye on enemies to informing farmers what
crops need more pesticide (precision agriculture). Another unique ability this
UAS has is that it doesn’t require a runway for takeoff, as it is launched via
a Mark 4 launcher, additionally it can be recovered without a runway or the use
of nets via a hook type system called SkyHook. This ability allows it the UAS to be operated
virtually anywhere, and in a variety of environments. It also allows the UAS to
have an assortment of mission sets whether they are required for combat, search
and rescue, or precision agriculture, it is a system that delivers. From their
website http://www.insitu.com/images/uploads/product-cards/Scaneagle_OptionsAndCapabilities_ProductCard_PR041615_1.pdf
the sensor options for this particular
UAS are as follows:
§ Electro-optic
imager: For high-resolution daytime imagery.
o
1.1°–25° field of view
§ 36x
continuous zoom
§ EO900
turret: Picture-in-picture daytime imagery from two imagers, allowing operators
to focus on and maintain positive identity for objects of interest.
o
.3°–48.7° field of view
§ 170x continuous zoom from one high-resolution
imager
§ MWIR camera: For quality thermal imaging for
nighttime and low-visibility operations.
o
2°–25° field of view
o
12.5x continuous zoom
§ Dual Imager turret: Includes an EO (Electro-Optical)
and MWIR (Midwave Infared) camera and laser marker for easy transition from
daytime to nighttime missions.
o
MWIR 2°–25° field of view
§ 12.5x
continuous zoom
o
EO 1.1°–25° field of view
§ 36x
continuous zoom
Strengths of the ScanEagle :
- The size of the system (the UAS, and the Launch and recovery system) and the crew is smaller and more mobile than in the case of High altitude long endurance (HALE) and Medium altitude long endurance UAS such as the Predator or Global Hawk who fulfill many of the same ISR requirements
- The aircraft can be launched and recovered in any terrain, including naval ships.
- Due to lower operational altitude, the camera’s field of view 1.1°- 25° (Insitu-Capabilities, n.d.) has smaller footprint than one MALE and HALE UAS and therefor offers more details than sensors mounted on bigger platforms
Weaknesses of the ScanEagle:
- · The military uses ScanEagle for the EO/IR cameras specifically, which limits the system’s remote sensing capabilities to visible light spectrum
- · Because the maximum payload weight is 7.5 lb. (Institu-Capabilities,n.d.) payload options become limited and therefore restricted to sensors that are smaller and lightweight
Overall this platform provides a great option for civilians and
military alike, and with newer technology being developed like LIDAR (Light Detection
and Ranging), this system will see continued success. To mitigate the issues of
payload weight it is suggested increase the systems overall payload capacity,
or research alternatives to payloads to meet customer demands. It has been
suggested that the new ScanEagle version 2 allows for greater power to be used
for payloads (60 watts upgraded to 100 watts and 150 watts) but will come at a
cost of lessened endurance (24+ hours, down to less than 16) (Cavas, 2013, para
5-7) which could pose some problems if the system was originally designed for
long endurance type missions.
References
Cavas, C. (2014,
October 31). Insitu Launches New ScanEagle 2 UAS. Retrieved October 29, 2015,
from
http://archive.defensenews.com/article/20141031/DEFREG01/310310034/Insitu-Launches-New-ScanEagle-2-UAS
Insitu. (n.d.).
Retrieved October 29, 2015, from http://www.insitu.com/systems/scaneagle
Insitu-Product
Capabilities. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2015, from
http://www.insitu.com/images/uploads/product-cards/Scaneagle_OptionsAndCapabilities_ProductCard_PR041615_1.pdf
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