ScanEagle, the lightweight, long-endurance UAV deployed from U.S. Navy ships and by allied forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, can now be upgraded to the heavier NightEagle configuration with improved infrared sensor for night operations. Boeing subsidiary Insitu, of Bingen, Washington, described the upgrade as including changes out of the current DRS Technologies E6000 uncooled, long-wave infrared (LWIR) camera with a cooled, mid-wave infrared (MWIR) sensor provided by FLIR Systems. This “MWIR 1” capability will be replaced no later than next April with a nexgen “MWIR 2” sensor from DRS Technologies.

The conversion from the 44-pound (maximum takeoff weight) ScanEagle to NightEagle can be completed in the field in about two hours. The NightEagle is distinguished by a third tail fin and larger nose containing the IR imager. The larger air vehicle has about eight to 10 hours of endurance, roughly a third that of ScanEagle, depending on density altitude, Insitu said. The NightEagle variant entered production in July and is expected to be initially operated by U.S., Canadian, and Australian forces. As of November, there were 25 fielded systems, with more than 2,000 hours and 260 sorties, Insitu said.