Boeing flies world's smallest synthetic aperture radar on ScanEagle

Boeing announced today that they have successfully flown the world's smallest SAR aboard one of its ScanEagle mini-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The NanoSAR weighs in at only 2 pounds and is roughly the size of a shoebox. The first flight apparently took place back on the 7th of January, however, Boeing is just now releasing the results. The ScanEagle was able to take ground imagery with the NanoSAR which was then recreated on the ground. Boeing's next step is to collect and view the imagery in real-time while the ScanEagle is in flight.

This is a huge step for the tiny UAV as it's only previous payload included electro-optical and infrared sensors. The NanoSAR will now give users the ability to see through clouds, fog, haze, and rain. These were killers for ScanEagle in the past with its EO/IR sensors, but now should pose no problem for battlefield tacticians. Take that, Killer Bee.

Raytheon Looks to Usurp Boeings UAV Dominance

Here is another battle Boeing does not want to lose. A pretty serious battle is breaking out between Raytheon and Boeing to be the primary supplier of UAVs to the United States Navy and Marines. Boeing currently has a lock on the reconnaissance UAV market. Its ScanEagle UAV has been in service since 2004, since the Pentagon decided their use was vital to missions in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Then in 2005, the Navy purchased the ScanEagle to observe over-the-horizon oil platforms and suspicious ships.

Bring in the Raytheon "Killer Bee" and things may get interesting. Analysts think it will be hard for Raytheon to break into the market, but you just never know (proven by the KC-X program). Raytheon touts its UAV's ability to fly more than 100 miles and carry heavier payloads, in additional to the ability to track objects day or night with video and infrared feed and guide precision munitions with an on-board laser designator.

The Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System program created by the Pentagon is seeking to field a UAV that can stay aloft for 24 hours, takeoff from a mobile catapult-style launcher, land without a runway, navigate autonomously, and have multiple UAVs controllable from one platform. The Boeing ScanEagle already meets most of these qualifications and it is upgradable.

Smelling another protest? Only time will tell as a decision is expected to be made in 2011. I am just pleased to see EADS has not stuck their european nose in this matter (yet).

See this video of the Killer Bee in action, with a bit of on-board action. Looks like it should be swimming underwater, similar to a manta ray.