Insitu Inc., a Boeing [NYSE: BA] subsidiary, has successfully demo'd its interoperable unmanned aircraft (UA) launch and recovery system. The SkyHook wing-tip recovery system and nexgen launcher support all of the company's UA — Integrator, ScanEagle, and NightEagle — reducing the overall operational footprint in challenging terrain. The rugged and powerful launcher is based upon the same pneumatic technologies that have proven reliable and effective on some 15 ship classes as well as on land. SkyHook eliminates the need for runways or complicated net captures and enables safe shipboard recovery and expeditionary capability for tactical missions on land or sea.

The field-proven ScanEagle has completed 249,000 operational flight hours and 31,000 land and maritime sorties to date. NightEagle offers nighttime vision comparable to daytime imagery with a cooled mid-wave infrared camera and has a National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale rating of 7.3. Integrator, the company's next generation UA due for commercial release in the third quarter of calendar year 2010, is the company's solution for the Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (STUAS)/Tier II competition.