Article Posted on : - May 27, 2010

A file photo of ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle. A Boeing Photo

ST LOUIS (BNS): The ScanEagle autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle in a recent test has successfully validated its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability.

The aircraft, designed by Boeing in partnership with the Insitu Group, underwent the flight test in eastern Oregon on May 12.

The 75-minute flight evaluated the aircraft's airworthiness and flight characteristics in a simulated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission, Boeing said in a statement.

The UAV, powered by a six-horsepower, heavy-fuel engine, was launched from a ground vehicle. It flew an autonomous flight plan at various altitudes and provided streaming video from its electro-optical/infrared sensor package to a nearby ground station, the statement said.

The aircraft was then recovered using the same runway-independent SkyHook recovery system used by the ScanEagle and Integrator unmanned airborne systems.

The ScanEagle Compressed Carriage (SECC) is a low-cost, long endurance autonomous unmanned aerial system. It has been designed to keep track of both static as well as moving targets, providing real-time intelligence. Capable of flying above 16,000 feet, the UAV has also demonstrated its ability to provide persistent low-altitude reconnaissance.

The aircraft will undergo further tests in the coming months, Boeing said.