I contract to a company across the river from my home in Hood River, Oregon.  This company, Insitu, manufactures very cool man-sized drones with amazing imagery capabilities.  I provide them technical consulting services on communications systems ranging from radio to networking to video based on my broad and directly applicable experience in wireless, broadband, networking and VoIP/Video applications.

Below are some of the news articles and links to the stories surrounding Insitu’s ScanEagle drone and the pirate event.

About me: Professional consultant in the broadband and wireless industries, with a current focus on helping service providers, utilities (smartgrid), public safety, education, healthcare municipal gov’t on tapping into the nearly $100 billion in ARRA Stimulus funds available for buildout of broadband and IT infrastructure. http://aspenwireless.net

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ScanEagle Provides Real-Time View of Piracy, Rescue

Recent attacks and pirate activity have made their way to prime time television through the lens of Insitu’s ScanEagle. Actionable, real-time intelligence and long endurance played a role in the successful outcome. See below for a selection of coverage and related stories.

• KGW Channel 8 News coverage: Watch Video…
• Fox video from Thursday, April 9. Look for timecode 2:01: Watch Video…
• Today Show shows imagery from ScanEagle: Watch Video…
• Baltimore Sun: “The Bainbridge has launched an unmanned drone called a ScanEagle, which is providing a real-time video feed of the lifeboat. The military cannot see the captain or the pirates directly because the boat is covered. However, the ScanEagle can carry an infrared camera that might provide information about where the pirates and the captain are on the 24-foot craft.” Full Story…
• Washington Post, April 9, Last Paragraph: “The Bainbridge carries with it the ScanEagle, a 40-pound drone with night vision. It can fly as high as 16,000 feet and linger over a target for more than 20 hours. The Navy used a ScanEagle aboard another ship to detect a suspicious small boat in February. Nine suspected pirates were captured.” Full Story…
• Associated Press: “The Navy released images of the scene from an unmanned drone, Scan Eagle. It showed that the snipers had positioned themselves on the fantail of the Bainbridge. The snipers fired simultaneously. One of the pirates was in the pilot house. The Navy released images of the scene from an unmanned drone, Scan Eagle. It showed that the snipers had positioned themselves on the fantail of the Bainbridge. The snipers fired simultaneously. One of the pirates was in the pilot house.” Full Story…
• Daily Mail (UK), April 14, Two Images From ScanEagle video: “‘Flawless’: U.S. Navy Snipers Killed Three Somali Pirates With Just Three Shots… In The Dark, From The Deck Of A Rolling Ship” Full Story…

 

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Drone built by Boeing subsidiary watches pirates

The ScanEagle, an aerial drone built by Boeing subsidiary Insitu in Bingen, Klickitat County, was used in the Navy operation that led to the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips from Somali pirates

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By Hal Bernton

Seattle Times staff reporter

The ScanEagle, an aerial drone built by a Boeing subsidiary called Insitu in Bingen, Klickitat County, was used in the U.S. Navy operation that led to the rescue of Richard Phillips from Somali captors.

The ScanEagle was launched from the USS Bainbridge to take surveillance video of the lifeboat where four Somali pirates were holding the cargo-ship captain hostage.

Images from this video were released in the aftermath of the Navy SEAL operation that killed three of the pirates.

The ScanEagle used in surveillance of the lifeboat weighs about 40 pounds and has a wingspan of about 10 feet. It can fly for up to 20 hours with a camera that can be fitted for day or night operations, said Damien Mills, a Boeing spokesman.

The Navy has used the ScanEagle since 2006. In recent months it has been deployed extensively as U.S. Navy ships patrol the Gulf of Aden in search of pirates. In February, Mills said, pictures taken by a ScanEagle drone operating at night from the USS Mahan helped captured nine pirates.

Boeing acquired Insitu last year.

 

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By Jesse Burkhardt

The Enterprise - White Salmon, WA

Insitu’s “ScanEagle” drone aircraft — designed and built in Bingen — contributed to the successful military operation on April 12 that freed an American ship’s captain being held hostage by Somali pirates

To recap the story, which made headlines around the world: Armed pirates operating out of Somalia attempted to capture the American container ship Maersk Alabama on April 8. The hijacking effort failed, but the American captain — Richard Phillips — volunteered to be held as hostage to end a threat of violence to members of his crew.

Phillips and several pirates left the Maersk Alabama in an inflatable lifeboat. U.S. Navy ships — including the destroyer USS Bainbridge — converged on the scene to make sure the pirates did not escape the area with Phillips.

A four-day standoff ensued.

Half a world away in Bingen, Insitu officials followed the incident closely.

“We know the ships we’re deployed on,” said Steve Nordlund, Insitu’s vice president/business development. “When we heard the Bainbridge was on the scene, we knew we had a chance of being in the operation.”

The Bainbridge employed its ScanEagle technology to provide around the clock observation of the lifeboat.

“The ScanEagle is not an airplane, it’s more of a flying camera,” Nordlund said. “The airplane is a facilitator to get to our product: We’re known for very good imagery. The ScanEagle provides daytime and nighttime imagery, and long endurance. It’s not unusual for the ScanEagle to go on 16-hour missions.

On the evening of April 12, U.S. Navy SEALs were able to individually target and kill the three pirates holding Phillips. Phillips was not injured.

After his rescue, Phillips praised not only the Navy SEALs, but also the creators of the highly-specialized surveillance technology that provided a big assist in freeing him from pirates armed with AK-47s.

“The Boeing/Insitu team (on board the Bainbridge) did get a chance to meet with Capt. Phillips, and he expressed his appreciation to the entire team,” Nordlund said.

Knowing Insitu played an important role in the successful rescue of an American hostage was an extraordinary experience for the company’s staff.

“There were a lot of Insitu employees walking around the streets of Bingen and White Salmon very proud of our involvement and what we do,” Nordlund said. “The overall sense of the employees at Insitu is, we’ll all reflect back on this one day and say, `Wow.’ There are lots of jobs in life, but how often is there a chance to work on something really cutting edge that makes a difference, or something that is viewed around the world. We’re humbled by it. At the same time, we are working with our customers every day and saving lives. This one just happened to make the headlines.”

Insitu’s ScanEagle was first deployed in 2004. It has a 10-foot wingspan, can fly as high as 20,000 feet, and operates very quietly. The drones are lightweight — 40 pounds for a fully-fueled ScanEagle — and can be launched by what is in effect a slingshot.

“That’s one of the reasons it’s used so pervasively in the military,” Nordlund said. “It helps in our overall force protection. The sons and daughters of Americans are being protected by ScanEagle every day.”

Nordlund said Insitu technology has been increasingly employed in operations in the Gulf of Aden — off the Horn of Africa — in recent months.

“It’s a hot spot for pirate activities,” Nordlund said. “Even though there are wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is another war going on, and our Navy is fighting it.”

Nordlund added that President Barack Obama made a phone call to the Bainbridge to offer congratulations on the successful mission, and he also spoke directly to Phillips.

For Insitu, trying to keep a relatively low profile about a customer like the U.S. Navy — which was using Insitu’s products during an incident the whole world was watching — proved to be a daunting task.

“We do not discuss customers’ operations,” Nordlund explained. “But the images we saw on TV were coming from our vehicle, and when you’re involved in operations that get the focus this did worldwide, it makes us very proud.”

Nordlund pointed out that the footage aired on television news programs around the world were supplied to the media by the U.S. Navy, and not by Insitu or its parent company, Boeing, which made Insitu a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2008.

Perhaps it was a case of wanting to share in some good news, but Nordlund noticed some apparent “pride of ownership” in the various television news reports on the Boeing/Insitu involvement in the rescue of Phillips.

He pointed out that the Portland television stations tended to focus on Insitu, based in nearby Bingen, while Seattle stations talked about Boeing, which has deep roots in Seattle.

“On KATU-TV, a Portland station, it was Insitu that was given the credit, and on KING-TV in Seattle, it was Boeing,” Nordlund said. “They were tailoring to their particular area. But we are part of the same family. The combined Insitu-Boeing team made it happen.”

The high-profile success of the Navy’s rescue operation is likely to further heighten demand for Insitu’s products, and the company is continuing to expand. Insitu currently has more than 500 employees, most of them working in Bingen and White Salmon.

“We’ve hired 90 new employees since Jan. 1,” said Jill Vacek, communications specialist for Insitu.

Vacek pointed out that Insitu is also in the process of adding new facilities in Stevenson.

“Overall, we’re continuing to grow, and are growing into space in Stevenson,” she explained. “The Stevenson move will be for about 60 additional employees, but there will be no lessening of the number here.”

Nordlund hinted that further expansion is anticipated.

“Insitu has 519 employees now. But check back at 5 p.m.,” he joked.

Nordlund also stressed that, despite the occasional rumors, Insitu is not leaving the Bingen/White Salmon community.

“That’s the furthest thing from our minds,” he said. “We are going to grow.”

Nordlund noted that Insitu recently signed a $30 million contract with the Canadian Army for ScanEagle training and supply.

“We will support their ground forces in Afghanistan,” Nordlund said. “So we’re seeing Canadian uniforms around town now, as we’re continuing to bring an international flavor to Bingen and White Salmon.”

In addition to the Canadian deal, Insitu has a contract in place to provide ScanEagles for the Singapore Navy.

And the product line is being further refined.

“We’re working on a second aircraft beyond ScanEagle — the `Integrator,’” Nordlund said. “We’re getting ready for some real-world operations with the Integrator.”

The Integrator will have a 16-foot wingspan, as opposed to the ScanEagle’s 10-foot wingspan.

“It can carry more payload,” Nordlund pointed out.

 Nordlund reflected back on the humble origins of Insitu, and marveled at the innovative company’s phenomenal growth in a relatively short span of time.

“Great things can happen,” Nordlund said. “Just a few years ago, Insitu was a few guys in a garage.”

Link to The Enterprise

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