University of North Dakota Selects Insitu ScanEagle for Unmanned Aircraft System Operations Study Program

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posted: 3 DAYS 8 HOURS AGO

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Insitu Inc., a Boeing [NYSE:BA] subsidiary, has provided the University of North Dakota (UND) with its ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system (UAS), to be used in Department of Defense (DOD) contracted research providing data for UAS national airspace integration.

"Unmanned aircraft systems are the latest advance in aviation technology and will play an increasingly significant role in worldwide aviation. Complementary postsecondary education programs established to educate and train students for careers in the rapidly developing UAS industry are critical," said Insitu Business Development Executive Paul McDuffee.

"The University of North Dakota's program will bring tremendous value to the UAS industry. We look forward to the evolution of this new field of study and are pleased that ScanEagle will help facilitate its development," added McDuffee.

UND is a designated State Center of Excellence for UAS Research, Education and Training. The funds for the acquisition of the ScanEagle were provided by an Air Force research contract.

The ScanEagle is widely deployed with U.S. and other armed forces worldwide. Its versatile and wide-ranging capabilities, including low personnel requirements, portability, runway independence, in-field component replaceability, "persistent stare" daytime and nighttime imagery and 24-hour flight endurance make it one of the best in-class UAS.

"Our program requires an optimal system--one with a proven operational track record, reliability and effectiveness to support our educational and research activities. ScanEagle is market-validated and well-positioned to deliver to our requirements," said UND Associate Professor of Aerospace Mark Askelson.

The UAS system will enable UND to work with state-of-the-art equipment and collect invaluable research data.

"To date, the university's only fully trained operators and maintenance technicians are UND employees and primarily flight instructors. We hope to integrate a ScanEagle system into our curriculum and allow students to fly the system against a radar test bed, while learning to operate the UAS itself," said UND Associate Professor of Aviation and Director of Program Development for the UAS Center of Excellence, Douglas Marshall.

Insitu Inc., a wholly owned Boeing subsidiary, located in Bingen, Wash., designs, develops and manufactures UAS and provides related services for commercial and military applications. With a small footprint and expeditionary focus for both land and sea operations, the company's family of UAS solutions is serving the needs of the global defense community, achieving more than 230,000 operational flight hours and 28,000 sorties to date. Visit www.insitu.com for more information.

The University of North Dakota, located in Grand Forks, is at the forefront of UAS education, research, and training. UND recently initiated the first and only undergraduate program offering a bachelor's degree in UAS Operations. In 2006, the UAS Center was designated a State Center of Excellence for UAS. The Center is a key player in ongoing efforts to facilitate the integration of unmanned aircraft into the national airspace and leveraging its 40 years of success in commercial aviation education, is developing a national UAS training center in North Dakota. For more information on UAS activities at UND, visit www.uasresearch.org