Boeing to Upgrade Systems for Marines

The Marine Corps Systems Command at Quantico has awarded Boeing a 3 1/2 -year contract to provide ongoing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support for the Marine Expeditionary Forces' ScanEagle unmanned aircraft program. The contract is worth $18 million.

It is a follow-on award to Boeing's contract on the joint Marine Corps-Navy program, which is scheduled to be fully operational in 2010, said David Langness, team leader for the contract at Boeing.

"This bridge contract for services basically covers the time frame between now and when the [complete program] would go into effect," he said.

The new award calls for several system upgrades and includes a number of options detailing additional support tasks that, if all of them were to be exercised, could increase its value to $381.5 million, Langness said.

The options could expand the surveillance program from 12 hours a day seven days a week to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and increase the number of unmanned aircraft systems.

Team ScanEagle is composed of Boeing and Insitu, a developer of the long-endurance, fully autonomous unmanned aircraft, which has been used by the Marines since July 2004.

The Navy adopted the program in September 2005, and the Australian Defence Force adopted it in November 2006.

So far, ScanEagles have flown more than 4,600 sorties and 50,000 hours, including 34,000 hours with the Marines, Boeing said.

ScanEagles are equipped with specially stabilized electro-optical and infrared cameras that permit the operator to track both stationary and moving targets. Capable of flying above 16,000 feet, the unmanned aircraft provides low-altitude reconnaissance.

David Hubler is an associate editor with Washington Technology magazine. For information on this and other contracts, go tohttp://www.washingtontechnology.com