The Netherlands has selected the Boeing Insitu Integrator UAV to meet requirement for a small tactical unmanned air system (STUAS).
The Netherlands Ministry of Defense (NMOD) awarded the Short Range Tactical UAV (SRTUAV) contract for three Insitu Integrator systems to replace the Insitu ScanEagle systems currently in use by the NMOD defense forces since 2012.
“Whether the mission is to support boots on the ground or increase safety in commercial marketplaces, our team is dedicated to providing our customers with the solutions they need to make critical decisions,” said Ryan M. Hartman, Insitu president and CEO. “We are proud to continue to support the Royal defence forces with the capabilities they need to ensure security for the Netherlands and their global allies.”
Integrator is a multi-mission, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system (UAS) that carries custom payloads for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The system was designed to be a modular, flexible and multi-mission capable solution for land and maritime operations including force protection, target acquisition and battle damage assessment.
The air vehicle has a payload capacity of 18 kg (40 lb) and supports an evolving set of sensors, delivers line-of-sight communications up to 55 nautical miles, and is supported by runway-independent launch and recovery systems.
Integrator is controlled by ICOMC2, which enables one operator to control multiple unmanned vehicles from a single workstation. It is the baseline aircraft for the RQ-21A Blackjack, a program of record with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps that achieved full rate production in the fall of 2016.
NMOD defence forces will receive their Integrator systems beginning in 2018.
Launched from a pneumatic launch rail, the Integrator is recovered using the patented “skyhook” recovery system, where a vertical wire must be hooked onto its wing.
Source: Press Release