Get tactical with your payloads.

ScanEagle is the perfect blend of tactical size and payload potential. ScanEagle can carry custom payloads weighing up to seven pounds, and the interface control document enables easy system integration.

At Insitu, we design our systems to be payload agnostic so our customers can fly the best payload for their mission. That's why each system has versatile payload bays to carry either standard or customer specific payloads.

Make the most of your payload options

Our payloads directorate team can help you best utilize the vast array of payload bays and options for filling them. The directorate actively collects capability-driven payloads, and we also have many original equipment manufacturer (OEM) payloads in various stages of research and development. Customers and OEMs can explore, test and field the newest payloads. With the choice of the imager or payload you need on a small, tactical unmanned aircraft system (UAS) with best-in-class endurance, you can accomplish the mission — wherever it takes you, and whatever the conditions.

Nose bay

ScanEagle can be configured with either an imaging turret in the nose or a blind nose. The baseline imaging turret houses an electro-optic (EO) imager or low-wave infrared imager. Currently in field evaluations, the next-generation mid-wave infrared imager (MWIR) 3.0 turret enables both EO and MWIR imaging within a single turret . The blind nose configuration is ideally suited for carrying ancillary equipment associated with specialty payloads carried in the mid-bay, such as communications relay and electronic warfare payloads. Ancillary equipment that may be carried in the blind nose includes antennas and other equipment that may have certain radio frequency interference requirements.

Mid-bay

The mid-bay is ideally suited for numerous off-the shelf communications relay payloads, as well as other payloads such as electronic warfare and other Insitu and non-Insitu payloads. The mid-bay configuration includes a “fin” that can also carry ancillary payload requirements.

Benefits:

• Create ad-hoc communication networks in times of disaster relief, or other situations where communications infrastructure doesn’t exist or line-of-sight obstructions exist. With an electronic warfare sensor in the mid-bay, ScanEagle can become another sensor in your array of electronics warfare sensors.

Some of the payloads we have integrated into the mid-bay include:

• Enhanced position and location reporting system 
• Single-channel ground-to-air radio system 
• Biological combat assessment system
• Gradiometers
• Iridium satellite communications
• Magnetometers
• Multi-band inter/intra-team radio 
• SecNet-11
• Tactical common data link 

Right wing

The wing bay and fin are two other locations that are ideal for antennas and other ancillary communications equipment. The right wing has a bay that is available for smaller payloads. Inspired by feedback from the field, some of our most popular payloads are housed in the wing bay.

Popular payloads include:

• The Automatic Identification System (AIS) relay payload, which helps deliver situational awareness and over-the-horizon sensing to maritime vessels, especially in support of anti-piracy operations.

• The Bandit Digital Data Link, which provides secure, encrypted transmission of data to remote video terminals, including ROVER and One System Remote Video Terminal, Video Scout, and Insitu ground control stations and remote video terminals.

• These few wing-bay payloads don’t represent all the possibilities. Variant aircraft options are available where options are removed to allow room for additional payloads in the wing, or to allow for additional power or weight requirements of payloads in other bays.

• Since we first deployed with the U.S. Marine Corps in 2004, our wing has changed several times. We learn new ways to optimize the wing based on lessons learned in-theater.

Avionics expansion slot

The avionics expansion slot enables you to add new boards to control new payloads as they are integrated into the aircraft, so today’s aircraft can operate next-generation technology. The avionics expansion slot is also an ideal place for additional computing boards that may be required as the unmanned systems industry moves toward common control stations.

Since we first entered theater, one of our many improvements to the ScanEagle UAS was the movement of the video stabilization processing from the ground control station to onboard the aircraft. This move allowed us to stream stabilized video to other networked battlefield assets, not just Insitu assets. That means remote video terminals such as the ROVER, Video Scout or One System Remote Video Terminal — in addition to Insitu’s hub-and-spoke network of ground control stations, mobile ground control stations, forward ground control stations and remote video terminals — can all receive ScanEagle stabilized video directly.

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