Boeing Takes on Somali Pirates
The spectacular range of modern airborne surveillance capabilities was highlighted last month at Avalon, where visitors were treated to real-time surveillance from airborne aircraft detecting (as one example) drivers committing traffic offences on the nearby freeway.
The stability and definition of these systems was demonstrated when it pictured the driver in a moving vehicle full-frame using a hand-held mobile phone, with the lock-on camera automatically holding its focus on the driver even as the aircraft turned, climbed, altered speed or manoeuvred to read the number plate.
Also on display at Avalon was a range of unmanned aerial vehicles with similar or superior capabilities, most of which are products of military research and development.
Pirates are a relatively new target, but last week that capability was demonstrated when a Boeing ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was a key player in the rescue of the U.S. freighter captain held by seaborne raiders from what appears to be Somalia’s leading industry.
The U.S. Navy has released still photographs of the 28-foot lifeboat in which U.S. freighter captain Richard Phillips was held hostage by four Somali pirates. The images were taken by a ScanEagle in a joint effort between Boeing and its subsidiary, Insitu Inc., launched from the U.S. Navy destroyer U.S.S. Bainbridge.
Four raiders had boarded the 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama freighter on April 8, making it the first U.S.-flagged vessel to fall prey to a pirate attack off the African coast in nearly 200 years.
In an ensuing struggle, the crew retook control of the vessel, capturing one of the pirates and a machine gun. The other three pirates took the captain hostage and fled in the freighter’s lifeboat, retrieving their colleague in an aborted hostage exchange. Navy SEAL sharpshooters ended the incident April 12, killing three pirates. The fourth pirate was taken into Navy custody, and Capt Phillips was safely aboard the Bainbridge.
Boeing Global Services & Support Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Services team members operating the ScanEagle aboard the Bainbridge detected the lifeboat in the Indian Ocean and used the system to track its activities, receiving electro-optical and infrared still and video feeds from the system’s sensors. ScanEagle provided the Navy with critical data, improving its situational awareness during the standoff.
Navy vice Adm. Bill Gortney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, commended those involved in the rescue: “This was an incredible team effort, and I am extremely proud of the tireless efforts of all the men and women who made this rescue possible,” Gortney said in a U.S. Navy release.
This was the second incident in which video feeds from ScanEagle have assisted the U.S. Navy in their efforts to keep the sea lanes off Somalia clear of pirates. In February, an ISR Services team aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Mahan provided video used by the Navy to capture nine pirates.
“ISR Services has teams deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Navy ships in key locations around the world,” said Phil Panagos, director, ISR Services. “These teams use ScanEagle to provide video to the customer for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.”
The long-endurance, fully autonomous ScanEagle UAS carries inertially stabilised electro-optical and infrared cameras that allow the operator to track both stationary and moving targets. Capable of flying above 16,000 feet and loitering over the battlefield for more than 24 hours, the 1.2 m-long platform provides persistent low-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Nearly invisible and inaudible at its usual operating altitude of 1,500 ft., ScanEagle has protected lives and provided enhanced battle space awareness in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2004.
ScanEagle is launched autonomously from a pneumatic SuperWedge catapult launcher and flies either pre-programmed or operator-initiated missions.
The Insitu-patented SkyHook system is used to retrieve the UAS, capturing it by way of a rope suspended from a 15m-high mast. The system makes ScanEagle runway-independent and minimises its impact on shipboard operations, similar to a vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicle.
With 10,000 hours of combat flight hours under its belt to date, ScanEagle has demonstrated its value as a net-centric system that can provide real-time information to tacticians in a wide range of military and civil scenarios. Its imagery allows tactical commanders to develop a clearer picture of the battlefield, which in the end has resulted in improved situational awareness and saved lives. The same capabilities are of growing interest to potential civil users.
As standard payload ScanEagle carries either an inertially stabilised electro-optical or an infrared camera. The gimballed camera allows the operator to easily track both stationary and moving targets, providing real-time intelligence. Capable of flying above 16,000 feet, the UAV has also demonstrated the ability to provide persistent low-altitude reconnaissance.
The system also has been used to support the UK Ministry of Defence’s Joint UAV Experimentation Programme (JUEP), through an industry team that includes Thales, QinetiQ and Boeing. During trials conducted off the coast of Scotland, team JUEP successfully controlled ScanEagle flights from a Royal Navy warship, which was a UK-first. Proving its ability to support maritime operations and land reconnaissance, ScanEagle was launched from land and then handed over to the ship-based control station.
For a vehicle of its size, ScanEagle’s endurance/payload combination is unmatched. The UAV — 1.2m long with a 3m wingspan — can remain on station for more than 15 hours. Planned variants will have an endurance of more than 30 hours.
Another topical capability is the ability to detect actual bush fire fronts even through smoke haze, and transmit the data through satellite communications in real time to fire control centres where it can be displayed on situation maps.
Analysis and decision making in fisheries, law enforcement, forestry and immigration surveillance are also aided by and these capabilities, which were displayed on at least three manned aircraft types at Avalon.
