Insitu

Infobox Company
company_name = Insitu, Inc.
company_
company_type = Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems
foundation = Bingen, Washington (1994)
location = Bingen, Washington
key_people = Steve Sliwa, CEO
industry = UAV Systems
products = UAV aircraft and Control Systems
revenue =
operating_income =
slogan = Making Ideas SOAR
net_income =
num_employees = <400
parent = Boeing Defense Systems
divisions =
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.insitu.com/ Insitu.com]
footnotes =

Insitu, Inc. is an American company, headquartered in Bingen, Washingtoncite web |url=http://www.insitu.com/contact |title=Insitu, Inc. Contact Information |accessdate=2008-06-18] that builds UAVs. On July 22, 2008 it was announced that Insitu would be acquired by long-time partner Boeing. This will not be a merger, as Insitu will maintain its own separate corporate structure.

History

Insitu originally designed its UAVs for use by commercial fishermen to track schools of fish, and reduce the time required to make a sufficient catchcite web |url=http://www.insitu.com/history |title=Insitu, Inc. History |accessdate=2008-06-18] . The name Insitu come from the Latin phrase In Situ, which means "in place", referring to the ability of the aircraft to make tight orbits in specific locations, but also to be able to do certain resonance in place of actual people.

Technical Information

Unlike most other UAVs, those produced by Insitu require a very small footprint for takeoffs and landings. This is due to the aircraft being launched by a pneumatic catapult launcher and recovered by flying into a suspended cable, which is captured by the aircraft by hooks on the end of the wings. This allows the aircraft to be launched and recovered from a truck, zodiac, small ship, or other area where a traditional runway is unavailable or impractical.

The aircraft can be configured to operate autonomously, or operated using telepresence. However, landings are always performed autonomously, as the aircraft require specific angles and speeds to make a successful landing.

Current Products

:ScanEaglecite web |url=http://www.insitu.com/history |title=ScanEagle™ Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) from Boeing and Insitu |accessdate=2008-06-18] - In Partnership with Boeing:: Insightcite web |url=http://www.insitu.com/insight |title=Insight™ Unmanned Aircraft System by INSITU|accessdate=2008-06-18] - Non-Military version of ScanEagle:: GeoRangercite web |url=http://www.insitu.com/georanger |title=Fugro GeoRanger by Insitu for Geomagnetic Surveys|accessdate=2008-06-18] - A specialized version of the Insight with ground-penetrating radar and other equipment specifically designed for Geological Surveys

Future Products

: Integratorcite web |url=http://www.insitu.com/integrator |title=Insitu Integrator unmanned aircraft system (UAS)|accessdate=2008-06-18]

Former Products

: Aerosonde - A weather tracking system, spun off as Aerosonde Ltd: SeaScan - A system to track fish (typically tuna) to reduce the time required at sea, and to prevent the catching of Dolphins. SeaScan is the basis for ScanEagle, Insight, and GeoRanger.

References

External links

* [http://www.insiu.com Insitu, Inc.]