Boeing successfully conducted the first flight of the ScanEagle Compressed Carriage (SECC) UAV at its Insitu test facility in Oregon on May 12.
The SECC is designed to be an air or surface vehicle launched derivative of the successful ScanEagle family of small UAVs, and is recovered using the same Skyhook system as ScanEagle.
“This is a big step toward adding another aircraft with additional capabilities to Boeing’s UAS stable,” said Ron Perkins, director of Boeing Phantom Works’s Advanced Unmanned Airborne Systems. “The vehicle’s 132in (3m) wing span and folding aero surfaces allow it to be carried on an aircraft pylon or in a container, giving the warfighter the choice of operating it from air, underwater, ground or surface platforms.”
Possible applications for SECC include container launches from ship or submarine missile tubes, as well as air launches from sonar buoy tubes or underwing pods on platforms such as the P-8 Poseidon.
