The International Drone Racing Association (IDRA) has condensed its liability insurance for drone pilots into a single policy that has no drone limit, no deductibles, and offers worldwide coverage for IDRA members. Continue reading
Author Archives: The Editor
US Border Patrol Can’t Stop Drones Carrying Drugs
Border Patrol agents are increasingly worried about the threat from drug-cartel-flown drones, after agents spotted 13 drones suspected of carrying drugs across one section of the U.S.-Mexico border in just one four-day period in November. Continue reading
New Mining Drone Delves Deep
Swiss manufacturer Flyability has developed a new drone that’s been tested in the Lac des Iles mine in Canada. Continue reading
USAF Wants Swarms of Cheap Gray Wolf Cruise Missiles
The U.S. Air Force has hired Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to develop experimental low-cost cruise missiles that can act as a swarm in order to better navigate through or overwhelm enemy defense networks. Continue reading
Velodyne Slashes Most Popular LiDAR Sensor Price
Led by inventor and entrepreneur David Hall, Velodyne LiDAR has announced a significant cost reduction for its VLP-16 Puck, which will spur hope and excitement for the development of safe autonomous vehicles that are accessible to all. Velodyne’s most popular LiDAR sensor, the VLP-16, is now offered to customers around the world for up to a 50 percent cost reduction. Continue reading
China’s Wing Loong Scores Five Hits in Succession
The record of “five hits in succession” performed by China’s home-developed Wing Loong II UAS, a high-end reconnaissance-strike unmanned aerial system (UAS), showed that the system equipped drone is combat-capable and will be widely used in future military actions, said an expert. Continue reading
At an Air Show in China, Drones, Not Jets, Are the Stars
At the World Fly-In Expo, an air show held in the central Chinese city of Wuhan last month, jets, hot air balloons, autogiros and ultralight planes were upstaged by Chinese-made drones. Continue reading
Kratos Subsidiary Gets $93M US Army Aerial Targets Contract
A Composite Engineering BQM-167A aerial target
Kratos Subsidiary Composite Engineering Inc., Roseville, California, was awarded a $93,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to procure Advanced Subscale Aerial Platform systems, an unmanned target aircraft with launchers and associated ground equipment and spares. Continue reading