Integrating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) safely into manned airspace is a popular topic. Potential uses for Insitu systems in this market include border patrol, domain awareness, intelligence gathering, public agency research and law enforcement.

Each European country faces a unique challenge in the integration of UAS into domestic airspace: International borders, including coastal stretches, are everywhere, and the majority of airspace is not large.

For a fraction of the cost and a fraction of the footprint, our UAS provide full-motion video that is superior to many of today’s larger Group 4 systems that are commonly used for border patrol. Our mid-wave infrared imager-configured ScanEagle®, also known as NightEagle®, was first fielded in 2009. It delivers daylight-quality video from an infrared imager, and provides exceptional situational awareness at night, at dusk, at dawn and in moisture-laden daylight environments that blind other sensors.

For maritime missions, we have the most shipboard experience in our class. Our UAS have been deployed shipboard since 2005. Launch and recovery systems allow rapid response to changing missions, and are compact enough to be stowed when not in use, so decks remain clear. This enables concurrent operations with the ship’s manned assets. Aircraft are recovered safely — without the dangerous task of overflying or flying toward the ship — using the patented SkyHook® recovery system.

Insitu has been a pioneer in the UAS industry since 2002. We are fortunate to have broad experience working with government agencies such as the European Aviation Safety Agency, the Federal Aviation Administration (including the Small Unmanned Aircraft System Aviation Rulemaking Committee in the United States) and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority in Australia to safely incorporate our systems into domestic airspace. This body of knowledge presents opportunities for countries within Europe looking to integrate unmanned systems into domestic airspace.

Since 2012 our ScanEagle UAS provide ISR for the Netherlands Ministry of Defense (MOD). The Netherlands uses ScanEagle with the MOD both domestically and abroad.

We are honored to help grow and shape the emerging UAS market. We recognized where civil aviation associations like the European Union’s Joint Authorities for Rulemaking Unmanned Systemswere headed, and we made sure we were on track to support. And because our UAS are modular, aircraft fielded in 2008 are just as advanced as aircraft coming off the production line today. That means we deliver a system today that can work with your emerging regulations tomorrow.