American forces press service (Jan. 11, 2005): ScanEagle proves worth in Fallujah fight.FALLUJAH -- It's called ScanEagle, and it has already saved the lives of many Marines. ScanEagle is an unmanned aerial vehicle A powered, aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry a lethal or nonlethal payload. that the Marines used during Operation Al Fajr, the coalition operation to remove insurgents Insurgents, in U.S. history, the Republican Senators and Representatives who in 1909–10 rose against the Republican standpatters controlling Congress, to oppose the Payne-Aldrich tariff and the dictatorial power of House speaker Joseph G. Cannon. from this city. The ScanEagle system, developed by Boeing and the Insitu Group of Bingen, Wash., had its baptism by fire The phrase baptism by fire or baptism of fire, known in English since 1822, is a translation of the French phrase baptême du feu and is a reference to a soldier's first experience under fire in battle. during some of the heaviest urban combat Marines have been involved in since Hue City in Vietnam in 1968. The UAV UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle UAV Unmanned Air Vehicle UAV Unmanned Aerospace Vehicle UAV Unmanned Airborne Vehicle UAV Uninhabited Air Vehicle UAV Urban Assault Vehicle UAV Unpiloted Aerial Vehicle (less common) performed flawlessly, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force The largest Marine air-ground task force (MAGTF) and the Marine Corps principal warfighting organization, particularly for larger crises or contingencies. It is task-organized around a permanent command element and normally contains one or more Marine divisions, Marine aircraft wings, and officials said today. ScanEagle is a relatively low-cost UAV at $100,000 a copy. But its real worth was in giving Marines in Fallujah a real-time picture of the enemy and helping them close with and kill insurgents without becoming casualties. Driven by a small propeller propeller, device consisting of a hub with one or more blades that propels a craft to which it is attached by rotating its blades in a fluid such as air or water. , the aircraft can stay airborne for 19 hours on just a gallon and a half of gas. It is a "launch-and-forget" system. A catapult catapult (kăt`əpŭlt'), mechanism used to throw missiles in ancient and medieval warfare. At first, catapults were specifically designed to shoot spears or other missiles at a low trajectory (see bow and arrow). launches the 40-pound aircraft, and a computer operator just clicks the cursor over the area of interest. The aircraft operates autonomously. The cameras--either for day or night--have enough definition to identify individuals and show if they are carrying weapons. "This was a true advantage for us during the operation," said Marine Col. John Coleman John Coleman may be:
ScanEagle enabled commanders to ascertain targets and provided specific coordinates via the Global Positioning System Global Positioning System: see navigation satellite. Global Positioning System (GPS) Precise satellite-based navigation and location system originally developed for U.S. military use. . The system can also track moving targets. ScanEagle gives commanders at several different levels real-time video. With the explosive growth in use of the Web in warfare, commanders many miles away can direct the system. All of this is not bad for a system designed to find fish. Insitu developed the aircraft to be launched and recovered by tuna boats. Fishermen would use the UAV to spot schools of tuna. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When the Marines needed another UAV system, they contracted with Boeing in June 2004 for ScanEagle and the contractors to run it. Four Boeing employees answered the call, and ScanEagles were soon flying missions over the most dangerous city in Iraq. The UAV is small and tough to see, said Marine officials. The contractors put the mufflers pointing up so that the enemy couldn't track the aircraft by sound. The Marines operate the aircraft at a very low altitude and lost only one to enemy fire during the weeks of intelligence gathering leading up to Operation Al Fajr. The Marines already use the Pioneer UAV and have access to other UAV information. The ScanEagle has a small footprint. Manning for the system is small, and all the system needs to operate can be carried in four Humvees. The Pioneer, one of the oldest UAVs in the inventory, needs a runway to operate from, several C-130s to transport the system, and 120 people to operate it. Marine officials are impressed with the ScanEagle system, and have shown the system's capabilities to Army, Navy, and Air Force officials. Marine officials do not know the true extent of the system's use. "You never really know until the Marines push the capabilities," Coleman said. "Our young Marines The Young Marines is a paramilitary youth program in the United States, open to children from the ages of eight years old through high school. It is a subsidiary organization of the U.S. Marine Corps. are the experts. They know what they need, and they have the knowledge to try new methods and stretch the capabilities of most pieces of equipment." |
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