![]() ![]() More than 100,000 individuals are served annually by the Museum's on-site and outreach educational programs. The Museum's aviation and space library and archives are the largest on the West Coast. The Museum's collection includes more than 160 historically significant air- and spacecraft, the original manufacturing facility of The Boeing Co., and the world's only full-scale NASA Space Shuttle Trainer. ![]() The independent, non-profit Museum of Flight is one of the largest air and space museums in the world, attracting more than 500,000 visitors annually. Power Plant: One 1.9 hp (1.4 kw) 2-stroke engineĪccess this and all other Museum of Flight news releases online at: The Museum's ScanEagle - Number 678 - deployed from the USS Bainbridge during the 2009 mission to rescue the captain of the MV Maersk Alabama after an attempted hijacking by pirates off the coast of Somalia. Today, ScanEagles also deploy with the United States Army and with several allied militaries. There, they flew more than 50,000 combat hours by 2009. The first ScanEagles deployed to Iraq with the United States Marine Corps in 2004 and with the United States Navy the following year. Its special launch and recovery systems allow it to operate from remote, unfinished locations, making it ideal for use aboard ships and by military units in the field. The compact aircraft is used primarily for military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The ScanEagle is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), sometimes known as a "drone." It was created by the Bingen, Washington-based company, Insitu, Inc., working in partnership with The Boeing Company. The Alabama's captain was eventually rescued after a team of three SEAL snipers killed the pirates holding Phillips hostage. The four-day standoff that followed involved action by two more naval vessels and a team of Navy SEALS. Shortly after arriving on scene, the Bainbridge deployed this ScanEagle UAV to help provide valuable reconnaissance and gather data on the situation aboard the lifeboat. The Bainbridge discovered that the pirates were holding Captain Phillips hostage as they attempted to reach the coast in one of the Alabama's lifeboats. The guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge arrived on April 9 to assist the Alabama and its crew. Though the crew of the Alabama prevented them from gaining control of the ship, the would-be hijackers managed to abduct the ship's captain, Richard Phillips. On April 8, 2009, pirates boarded the American container ship MV Maersk Alabama off the coast of Somalia. ![]() ![]() Photo: ScanEagle being launched from ship. It will help Museum visitors relate to the headlines of today, and with the plane's location in the Museum's Great Gallery, one will see in a glance how aerial surveillance has progressed from the massive Blackbird of the 1960s to the diminutive ScanEagle of today." "The fact that this particular aircraft is a veteran of a significant, recent mission is especially valuable. "ScanEagle fills a special place in the Museum's collection of reconnaissance aircraft," said The Museum of Flight Chief Curator, Dan Hagedorn. It was one of several ScanEagles that provided real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance imagery that contributed to the Phillips' rescue. Richard Phillips, who was held hostage by Somali pirates after the hijacking of his ship, Maersk Alabama. Navy during its renowned 2009 rescue of Capt. The Museum's ScanEagle aircraft - Number 678 - was used by the U.S. The casings will be placed on public display in November. The Museum also has possession of the three shell casings from the Navy sniper bullets used to kill Capt. aircraft is displayed with a collection of other historic "unmanned aerial vehicles" in the Museum's Great Gallery. 7, 2013-An historic ScanEagle drone aircraft used in a widely publicized hostage rescue mission - and the subject of the major motion picture, "Captain Phillips" - is now on permanent exhibit at The Museum of Flight. Small aircraft big hero in 2009 rescue of Maersk Alabama captain Buy Tickets Site Search Search Toggle search box ![]()
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