UAS VISION
an independent online news service for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems world
X-47B Landing at Edwards Air Force Base
Less than a month after the first flight of the U.S. Navy’s X-47B UCAS-Demonstration aircraft, flight test engineers from Northrop Grumman and the Navy have successfully completed the aircraft’s second and third flights. The flights, both conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, mark the beginning of the envelope expansion process to prove that the tailless aircraft can perform safely over a broad range of altitudes, air speeds and operating weights.
AAI Corporation has won a $12.6 million contract from the US Army Contracting command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, to install Tactical Common Data Link equipment on two Shadow UAS.
Lebanese officials have complained that two Israeli UAS have penetrated Lebanese airspace and flown over the southern part of the country in violation of a UN Security Council resolution.
Interest in Kansas State University Salina’s Introduction to Unmanned Aircraft Systems course is soaring, with enrolment up 200 per cent since autumn 2010.
BAE's Mantis - Basis for New Joint UAS
BAE Systems and Dassault Aviation announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the design, development, production and support of a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) unmanned aircraft system for the UK and French defence ministries.
The US Navy has outlined a new timeline for buying services provided by a fleet of unmanned aircraft systems worth up to $874 million. The close-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) contract would replace the Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle with a ship-based, small UAS that would keep track of vessels within a 50nm (90km) radius of the launch ship.
A Global Hawk based in Guam, is currently flying above Japan gathering imagery to help the Japanese Government direct its aid programme.
The US 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed in late February with the ScanEagle unmanned aircraft, marking the first time any MEU has taken the combat-proven UAS out to sea for an operational assignment.