The award comes after Insitu’s carbon fibre composites SUAV ScanEagle was deployed on the battlefield in support of Canadian troops in Afghanistan under an interim contract. The new contract includes in-theater flight operations, on-demand payload reconfiguration and aircraft maintenance.

The carbon fibre aircraft is 1.2 m (4 ft) long with a 3 m (10 ft) wingspan platform and weighs 15 kg (33 lbs). Launched by pneumatic catapult, its two-stroke engine can fly the craft for up to 15 hours and has a range of 1500 miles. A new four-stroke engine extends flight time to 60 hours and the range to 5000 miles.

The initial one-year contract includes two additional one-year options.

Insitu is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Boeing Company and is located in Bingen, Washington, USA. The company designs, develops and manufactures unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and associated services for commercial and military applications.