ScanEagle(TM) UAS Flies With Heavy Fuel in Iraq

BINGEN, Wash., April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Insitu, Inc. announced today it has flown Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) equipped ScanEagles in Iraq. This was the first demonstration of HFE technology in a real-world environment and was conducted in cooperation with the US Navy. The HFE equipped ScanEagles have flown more than 350 hours, including flying 12+ hour missions in both land and maritime scenarios. Insitu is pioneering the development of long-range, autonomous unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and advanced tools for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).

Heavy fuel refers to the kerosene-based fuel used in diesel and/or jet aircraft engines such as JP5, JP8, or Jet-A. Military planners have put the development of a heavy-fuel capability for unmanned aircraft as a high-priority to satisfy the safety concerns of naval operations and to streamline and simplify the logistics for remote deployments. ScanEagles flying in Iraq are using JP5.

Insitu, in partnership with The Boeing Company and Sonex Research, Inc. (Annapolis, MD), developed the HFE to satisfy the needs of warfighters. The system offers significant enhancements to the end user including simple starting and operation, a wider weather envelope, improved reliability, and increased endurance. The effort took two years of development that resulted in more than 2000 hours of testing. During that time, ScanEagle set a new endurance record of 28 hours, 44 minutes in flight using JP5.

Charlie Guthrie, Insitu Chief Technology Officer, remarked, "Real-world testing is imperative in preparing a heavy fuel engine for full deployment. These test flights clearly demonstrate the HFE's operability, maintainability, and reliability to the end user. Our team is working hard to further refine the technology to provide a capable asset for our troops."

ScanEagle is developed in partnership with The Boeing Company and is used to provide services for the US Marine Corps, US Navy, US Air Force, and Australian Defence Forces. ScanEagle has logged more than 80,000 hours of flight time since it was first deployed with the Marines in 2004 and with the Navy in 2005, including more than 1,000 shipboard launch-recovery cycles from Navy ships. Sonex develops multifuel conversions for spark-ignition engines and has been working with Insitu since 2005.

About Insitu

Insitu, located in Bingen, Washington, designs, develops, and manufactures unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for commercial and military applications. Insitu introduced the first unmanned aircraft (UA) to cross the Atlantic Ocean and has partnered with Boeing to develop ScanEagle(TM) and Fugro Airborne Surveys to develop GeoRanger(TM). For more information about the company, visit http://www.insitu.com.

About Boeing

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.1 billion business with 71,000 employees worldwide.

About Sonex

Sonex Research, Inc. is a leader in the field of advanced combustion technology for military and commercial applications. The patented Sonex Combustion System (SCS) technology improves fuel efficiency and reduces harmful emissions in reciprocating engines. Sonex is developing advanced technologies that allow gasoline engines to operate with heavy fuels, such as diesel, for use in military and commercial applications. For more information about Sonex, see http://www.sonexresearch.com.

     For More Information Contact:
     Chesua Patte
     Public Relations
     Chesua.patte@insitu.com