Private company

Insitu

Insitu Inc. is an American company that designs, develops and manufactures unmanned aerial systems (UAS).1

Last updated Oct 18, 2026.

Overview

1994Founded1

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Insitu Inc. is an American company that designs, develops and manufactures unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Boeing Company, and has several offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms—ScanEagle, Integrator, Integrator Extended Range (ER), ScanEagle 3, and RQ-21A Blackjack, have logged 1.3 million operational flight hours as of May 2022.2

How it started

History

Insitu was founded in 1994 by engineers interested in creating miniature robotic aircraft. It went on to develop the Aerosonde concept for long-range weather reconnaissance. The company derives its name from the process of measuring the atmosphere in situ (in place), as opposed to remotely, by satellite. At the end of the 1990s the company transitioned to the SeaScan concept for imaging reconnaissance from tuna seiners. With the onset of the Iraq War in 2003, SeaScan turned into ScanEagle, and Insitu focused their efforts on military applications. Insitu was acquired by long-time partner Boeing in 2008.

In 2015, it acquired the 2d3 company.

In addition to its defense business, the company announced the establishment of its commercial business unit, Insitu Commercial, in 2016.

Insitu was sanctioned by the Chinese government on December 27, 2024 due to arm sales to Taiwan.

On the 10th of August 2026 Insitu was sold to Archer Aviation.

From Wikipedia’s article on Insitu, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Timeline

  1. 1994Founded Founded in Bingen1

Sources

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