Insitu contracted for ScanEagle MEAUS surveillance drones

Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Insitu has received a $5,000 minimum, $232 million order under an existing contract for mid-endurance unmanned aircraft systems.

The order, announced Wednesday by the Department of Defense, was issued to prevent interruption of services currently being rendered. SOC fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $12 million were obligated at the time of award.

The ScanEagle is an unmanned aerial vehicle with a 10-foot wingspan that provides intelligence surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance data with high endurance.

It can hover over areas for over 24 hours at a maximum altitude of 19,000 ft. and carry several kinds of sensor payloads and other equipment. It can be launched from makeshift sites using a catapult and a hook-and-line recovery line so it does not require a runway.

Insitu also operates the US. Special Operations Command's MEUAS program using ScanEagles under a contractor-run fee-for-service model for ISTAR services.

The ScanEagle MEUAS program has been in service since 2004 when it was first introduced in Iraq. It is one of the standard contractor-run drone services in use today.