ASCI 530, Assignment 1.5, History of UAS

The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in operation today would not have been possible without the legacy of their predecessors.  Similar to many other achievements in other technical and engineering fields, success in the present owes much to efforts in the past.  The field of unmanned aviation is no exception.  A prime example of this can be seen in comparing the Northrop MQM-57 and the Insitu ScanEagle.

The Northrop MQM-57 was designed in the late 1950s as a tactical aerial reconnaissance platform.  The aircraft was small and lightweight compared to manned aircraft performing similar missions.  A 60 minute endurance was suitable for battlefield surveillance on a tactical scale. (“Northrop MQM-57 Falconer Factsheet,” 2013)  The aircraft was launched from a catapult mechanism and recovered via parachute, obviating the need for a paved, prepared runway or even a large, flat, open field.  The advantages of requiring a relatively small area to conduct operations would be of great utility to a mobile military formation in close proximity to an adversary.  A control system employing radar tracking allowed a pilot to operate the aircraft beyond line-of-sight.  (Blom, 2010)  This was a significant improvement over limitations of control systems requiring keeping the aircraft within visual range.

The Insitu ScanEagle owes much of its success to the lineage of the Northrop MQM-57.  Like the Northrop aircraft, the ScanEagle is a tactical aerial reconnaissance platform.  Technological advances have allowed the Insitu aircraft to be smaller and lighter than the MQM-57, yet remain airborne for much longer.  The ScanEagle is launched via a catapult mechanism and recovered via a trapeze arresting apparatus.  The similarities in the launch and recovery systems are readily apparent as both obviate the need for a large, open, prepared airfield.  The ScanEagle pilot operates the aircraft via a mobile workstation capable of beyond visual range control.  (“Insitu ScanEagle System,” 2013)  Like the MQM-57 system, a small, mobile footprint is valuable to working with tactical scale military units.

The similarities in design, mission, and operation of the Northrop and Insitu aircraft show a clear lineage between the two systems.  The ScanEagle owes much of its success to the past efforts and pioneering by the MQM-57.

References:

Blom, John David  (2010).  Development of Unmanned Flight in the United States.  CSI Press, Unmanned Aerial Systems: A Historical Perspective (pp. 55-65).  Retrieved from http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/OP37.pdf

Radioplane/Northrop MQM-57 Falconer Facesheet.  National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.  Retrieved from http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=7684

Insitu ScanEagle System.  Insitu, Inc.  Retrieved from http://www.insitu.com/systems/scaneagle