April 11,
2008: For the past four years, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have been using a
lightweight UAV, equipped with high resolution day and night video cameras, that
was originally designed for finding schools of tuna for fishing boats. Over the
last five years, these Scan Eagle UAVs [PHOTO] have spent over 50,000 hours in the air,
and flown nearly 5,000 sorties. About two thirds of this was for U.S. Marine Corps
units.
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The
ScanEagle UAV weighs 40 pounds, has a ten foot wingspan and uses a new video
technology (PixonVision), that provides greater resolution than other video
cameras. This makes it easier for the UAV, flying along roads frequently used
by American troops, to spot possible bombs (which can then be more closely
checked out by engineer teams stationed along these roads for that purpose.)
The ScanEagle was also used for spotting snipers, and enemy gunmen in general.
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The
ScanEagle can stay in the air for up to 15 hours per flight, and fly as high as
16,000 feet. But for the road patrol work, it will fly much lower. The aircraft
carries an optical system that is stabilized to keep the cameras focused on an
object while the UAV moves. The ScanEagle is launched from a catapult and landed
via a wing hook that catches a rope hanging from a fifty foot pole. The marines
tried out ScanEagle four years ago, and liked it well enough to begin using it
regularly. Australian troops also use the system. Each ScanEagle costs about
$100,000.
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