BINGEN — Insitu Inc. and the Federal Aviation Administration have entered into an agreement that could lay the groundwork for integrating unmanned aircraft into the U.S. airspace.
Under a cooperative research development agreement announced Wednesday, Insitu will provide FAA researchers with a ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system and related support hardware and data.
“The FAA has a well-equipped laboratory and resources at the technical center that will allow them to fully evaluate our Tier II system,” said Paul McDuffee, Insitu vice president of commercial business development. “It will also begin determining differences in how an air traffic controller manages an unmanned aircraft versus a manned aircraft.”
The ScanEagle has flown more than 320,000 hours in military operations and could have practical benefits in civil applications, as well.
“ScanEagle, with its 24-hour endurance capability, can be useful in search and rescue operations, for fire and flood monitoring and for guiding evacuation efforts during hazardous weather conditions,” the company said in a press release.
