Russia’s Okhotnik (Hunter) heavy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau, has made the first flight, the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters on Saturday. Continue reading
Author Archives: The Editor
Raytheon Developing Advanced Laser Systems for US Air Force
Raytheon Company will deploy two prototype high energy laser weapon systems to troops overseas under a U.S. Air Force contract. The Air Force experimentation includes 12 months of in-field operation against unmanned aerial systems and operator training.
US Army Awards Laser Weapon System Contract
A 5 kilowatt (kW) laser integrated on a Stryker participated in the Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX) at Fort Sill, April 5, 2017
The U.S. Army issued a contract award to accelerate the rapid prototyping and fielding of its first combat-capable laser weapon system.
This prototype will deliver 50 kilowatt (kW)-class lasers on a platoon of four Stryker vehicles in Fiscal Year 2022, supporting the Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) mission. Continue reading
China’s Solar-Powered Unmanned Aircraft Maiden Flight
The China-developed solar-powered unmanned aircraft “MOZI 2” has completed a successful maiden flight, its producer OXAI Aircraft Co., Ltd. announced last week. Continue reading
Korean Air’s Unmanned Helicopter Makes First Test Flight
An unmanned helicopter unveiled by Korean Air has made its first test flight as part of efforts to develop a fully unmanned platform that could be used for high-risk civilian and military missions. Korean Air said the Korean Air Unmanned System – Vertical Helicopter (KUS-VH) performed its maiden flight for about 30 minutes on July 30 at a research center run by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in the southern coastal town of Goheung. Continue reading
Pioneering BVLoS Drone Flight Over Trans-Alaska Pipeline
Echodyne, a manufacturer of innovative, high-performance radars for government and commercial markets, announced that its EchoGuard airspace management radars were the ground-based sensor for the first-ever UAS mission to operate beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight without ground observers. Continue reading
US Defense Innovation Unit Wants Drones to Deliver Medical Supplies
The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit is working with the medical-supply-dropping drone manufacturer Zipline to prototype unmanned aerial systems (UAS) as a way to broaden the distribution network of battlefield emergency supply delivery.
Ascent Vision Technologies Gets $23M USAF CUAS Contract
Ascent Vision Technologies (AVT) was recently awarded a contract to deliver a full suite of counter drone vehicles to the U.S. Air Force. This unique capability, known as the eXpeditionary Mobile Air Defense Integrated System or X-MADIS, was selected by the Air Force after 18 months of testing, trials and evaluation across multiple military services and operational spectrums. The total contract value exceeds US$23mm and deliveries will begin later this year. Continue reading