Flying High

Launched from a catapult

The tailless, high aspect ratio swept wing, reconnaissance scout is fitted with an off the shelf, rear mounted, two stroke engine, giving Eagle the ability to fly at an ceiling of 16,000ft.

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The Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) is a tailless, high-aspect-ratio swept wing reconnaissance scout. It is fitted with an off-the-shelf, rear-mounted, two-stroke engine. The ScanEagle has the ability to soar at an ceiling of 16,000 feet, for high aerial reconnaissance missions. It also has a flight endurance capability of 19 plus hours!

The ScanEagle is launched from a pneumatic catapult that flings it high in the sky, before the rear-mounted engine takes over. The patented recovery system, named "Skyhook," is a rope hanging from a pole that automatically catches the UAV. The payload is equally impressive. The GPS-based navigation system enables the ScanEagle to fly autonomous missions along predefined way points, while it takes real-time video with either electro-optical or infrared cameras. The UAV's 4-foot by 10-foot wingspan enables it to reach high altitudes at a top speed of 68 knots. Patrolling the skies above Iraq, a fleet of UAVs collect reconnaissance data, sending back positions and targets to U.S. ground forces.