One Operator is able to Fly Four Drones and increasing drone reliability for commercial domestic airspace usage

UAVs are “a mainstay,” said Ryan Hartman, senior vice presidents of Programs at Insitu, owned by Boeing. Over the next 25 years, he said, “Technology will have evolved to the point where we’ll be operating unmanned systems in the national airspace safely and responsibly.”

Insitu demonstrated the launch and recovery of a 45-pound ScanEagle UAV that launches from a catapult and can fly 24 hours on less than a gallon of fuel.

The ScanEagle has flown 800,000 hours since being introduced 10 years ago, much of that time carrying out surveillance in Iraq and Afghanistan. This month, Boeing sent U.S. Marines in Afghanistan their first Blackjack, a larger version of the ScanEagle that can carry more surveillance equipment.

Insitu has a unique business model compared with rivals. Rather than selling systems to customers, it leases them out, and it also provides the operators.

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