Insitu wins contracts at Farnborough to provide ScanEagle small UAVs to military forces in Japan and Singapore
FARNBOROUGH, England, 12 July 2012. Small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) specialist Insitu Pacific in Queensland, Australia, won contracts at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, England, this week to supply ScanEagle small UAVs to Japan and Singapore.
Insitu Pacific will provide ScanEagle UAVs to Japan for operational evaluation by the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, and to the Republic of Singapore Navy for use on that country's fast missile corvette surface warships.
For the Singapore navy, Insitu Pacific experts will provide training, logistics, ship installation, and in-country maintenance support. For Japan, Insitu Pacific will deliver ScanEagle UAVs to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. for evaluation.
Leaders of the Japanese military are interested in using ScanEagles for disaster recovery, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).
For the Singapore navy, sea tests have demonstrated that ScanEagle can improve situational awareness at sea. The system does not require a helicopter deck or hangar storage space, and it can be integrated on small vessels like corvettes and patrol boats. It offers ISR capabilities for small naval surface combatants without helicopter decks.
Developed in partnership with The Boeing Co., ScanEagle uses stealth at low altitudes with a low acoustic, visual, and infrared range signature, an advanced muffler, a modular design, low personnel requirements and 24-hour endurance, company officials say.
The small UAV uses a heavy-fuel engine to reduce shipboard logistics and improve aircraft performance. The UAV offers in-field component replaceability, and employs inertially stabilized electro-optic or infrared imagers to follow fixed and moving objects automatically for extended periods.
Insitu Pacific is the Australia-based subsidiary of Insitu Inc. in Bingen, Wash. -- a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co. For more information contact Insitu Pacific online at www.insitu.com/insitu-pacific, or the Farnborough International Airshow at www.farnborough.com. Also follow Military & Aerospace Electronics and Avionics Intelligence daily Farnborough show coverage online at www.militaryaerospace.com/farnborough-report.
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John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
