Insitu adds VTOL capacities to its Integrator fixed-wing recon drone

Aerial defense and security specialist Insitu has had strong demand for its Integrator data-gathering reconnaissance and intelligence drone, and has now found something of a hack to satisfy clients wanting to operate the fixed-wing craft as a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (VTOL) – even from tight spaces like the decks of Navy ships.

In response to customer requests for vertical capabilities, Boeing subsidiary Insitu has turned to Hood Tech’s Flying Launch and Recovery System (FLARS) to provide a work-around solution. While some drone developers might have gone back to the drawing board to re-work Integrator’s design to enable VTOL operation – making it a tail-sitting drone, for example – Insitu is relying on FLARS as an add-on solution that handles the desired vertical departure and landing work.

That, in turn, is now allowing Insitu Integrator operators to benefit from the craft’s more than 16-hour capacity carrying 40 lbs. of…