UK MoD selects ScanEagle UAV for Royal Navy

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a £30 million contract that will see the Insitu ScanEagle become the first maritime specific unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to operate in support of the Royal Navy.

The ScanEagle UAV will be deployed from Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxillary ships to provide aerial intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, complementing the existing helicopter and long range radar assets currently performing this role.

The unarmed aircraft, which has a wingspan of just over three meters and weighs 22kg, is launched by a pneumatic catapult. It can fly at speeds of up to 60 knots, and is commanded by a specialist team on board the ship who can plan the aircraft’s missions, control its flight and monitor and analyse the information gathered by the onboard sensor payload. At the end of its flight, the ScanEagle is recovered back to the ship.
 
Royal Navy Captain, Ian Annett, said: ‘ScanEagle represents an important addition to the Royal Navy’s ISR capability. Its ability to deploy during the day and night coupled with the technology it uses, will give Commanders a clearer picture of the operational situation whenever it’s required.’
 
Philip Dunne, Minister for Defence, Equipment, Support and Technology, said: ‘ScanEagle provides the Royal Navy with proven surveillance capability that has already been used on operations by other nations, so we know we are getting top quality equipment. The technology is off-the-shelf and will be available to the Royal Navy as soon as possible.
 
‘Our continued investment in ISR systems is essential to keeping our armed forces up to date with the latest capabilities and this will be a central part of the MoD's investment in new equipment over the next 10 years.’