UAS System to be Displayed on 04-08-08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences
Contact: Karen Ryba/Phone: 701-777-4761
April 7, 2008

Unmanned Aircraft System to be Displayed
on the Odegard School Parking Lot on Tuesday

(Grand Forks, North Dakota): The Insitu Group will have their Scan Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) system on display in the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Science’s campus facility parking lot from 10:00-5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8. This display will include two mobile ground control stations, a launcher and recovery system and three aircraft. It is the system that is used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Please contact Douglas Marshall at 701-777-3557 (dmarshal@aero.und.edu) or Ben Trapnell at 701-777-4766 (trapnell@aero.und.edu) for further information. Signs with directions will be clearly posted in the parking lot.

About Insitu Group:
The Insitu Group is a subsidiary of the Boeing Corporation, located in Bingen, Washington. Insitu began by creating long-endurance Unmanned Aircraft to measure atmospheric conditions and do reconnaissance in remote areas for meteorology, daily weather prediction, and climate modeling. Aerosonde, the first aircraft developed by Insitu, is noted for completing the first autonomous crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1998. From the Aerosonde, Insitu began to develop its Insight UAS platform which is still being regularly upgraded and deployed today. In 2001, Insitu began working with Boeing to develop Scan Eagle, an ISR-focused Unmanned Aircraft System that is currently used by the US Navy, the US Marines, and the Australian Army. The Scan Eagle is currently deployed around the world in support of United States military missions.

Insitu, recognizing the capabilities and outstanding reputation of the Odegard School, recognizes the potential of a cooperative effort that will provide mutually beneficial support for program development that in turn will become the catalyst for further UAS-related research throughout the academic and scientific community.

About UND Aerospace:
UND Aerospace, which includes the Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota and the UND Aerospace Foundation (UNDAF), is an international leader in collegiate and contract aviation education and training services flying over 90,000 hours per year in over 120 aircraft. UNDAF also has facilities in Spokane, Washington, with Spokane Falls Community College; Lumberton, North Carolina, with Robeson Community College; Phoenix, Arizona, in conjunction with Chandler-Gilbert Community College; and Crookston, Minnesota, with the University of Minnesota in addition to its home-base in Grand Forks, North Dakota. With more than 1,900 students from throughout the world, the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences is the second largest college at the University of North Dakota. Undergraduate and graduate programs leading to a variety of rewarding careers in aerospace are offered through five different academic departments: aviation, atmospheric sciences, computer science, earth system science and policy, and space studies. The UND Aerospace training complex is the most technologically advanced environment for aerospace education, training and research in the world.

In 2008, UND Aerospace will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. A series of regional alumni gatherings will be held across the country, as well as several events during UND’s Homecoming and 125th anniversary on October 13-18. For an updated listing of events, see www.undaerospace.com or www.undalumni.org.

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